


Hollywood Royalty

by CakeWalk



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Actors, British Female Character, Divorce, F/M, Film, Game of Thrones - Freeform, Harry Potter - Freeform, Hollywood, London, Los Angeles, Narcos - Freeform, New York, Royalty, Television, monaco
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-09-24 21:47:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 67,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9788576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CakeWalk/pseuds/CakeWalk
Summary: Grace Gallagher finds herself in the aftermath of a scandalous, celebrity divorce at the age of only twenty six. Her husband left her for one of her best friends and after feeling betrayed she runs away from her past in London. The young actress distracts herself with working on an upcoming biopic about her legendary grandmother, Grace Kelly, whom she portrays in the film. The movie features an all star cast but no one turns her head more than Pedro Pascal. Despite the large age difference Grace forms a close friendship with him, taking a new step in learning to trust again. Can Grace let Pedro into her heart or will she let her past rule her future?





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own any of the characters/celebrities in this story because that would be weird. Also this character will be an actress from films and tv series that we all know and love, playing characters that already exist instead of fictional movies like other fanfictions. I think this helps people grasp what kind of actress Grace is so with that being said... I don't own any of the movies, characters, or tv series mentioned through out this story. The actresses that play those characters are brilliant but this is just for Grace's sake so I don't think anyone in those parts shouldn't play those characters. I don't own any of the royals either so let's be clear on that.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace Gallagher goes from Harry Potter fan to one of the most in demand young actresses in the entertainment industry.

If you questioned her a year ago about how she thought her life would pan out it was never what it had become as of recently. Divorced at only twenty six and why may you ask? Because her husband of one year, boyfriend of six years, had left her for another woman. Not just any woman either but one of her best friends also just about the biggest pop star in the world. There wasn’t a lot of places you could go where people didn’t know who Taylor Swift was. Apparently the so called love of her life couldn’t even deny the appeal of the blonde icon. There’s probably a lot of confusion that comes with this small but important revelation so she should probably start from the beginning. 

There was plenty of Hollywood royalty occupying LA so Grace never felt unfair and pretentious but she was still different from them. Of course there was Michael Douglas, the son of Kirk Douglas, and then there was Carrie Fisher, the daughter of Debbie Reynolds, but Grace wasn’t quite the same as them. While she remained Hollywood royalty there was also the fact that she was real royalty. Grace Gallagher was not only the granddaughter of Grace Kelly but she was the granddaughter of Princess Grace of Monaco. Grace Kelly was a Hollywood legend much like Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor but what separated Grace Kelly from the rest of the screen legends was the fact that Grace Kelly didn’t just play a princess in a movie… She became a princess in real life. 

Interviewers always asked Grace about her namesake like they expected a non-generic answer but it’s not like Grace knew her grandmother. Princess Grace had passed away years before she was born… Years before Grace’s brother had even been born. All Grace knew of the screen legend was the stories her mother and grandfather told her as well as her movies. In all honesty Grace wasn’t completely sure why she had become an actress. It wasn’t as if she was trying to copy her grandmother. In fact, Grace didn’t realize how big of a deal her grandmother was until she started working in LA. 

Grace Katherine Gallagher was the second child of Eric Gallagher, a successful reporter for the BBC, and Prince Audrey, the third child of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace. Her mother met her father whilst taking a tour of the United Kingdom in the early eighties, not long after Princess Grace had passed away. Her father was working as an anchorman for the BBC in London at the time, an up and coming reporter. Princess Audrey sat down for an interview with the older man and the two immediately started falling for each other. Princess Audrey was only supposed to spend four weeks in London but in that amount of time she fell in love with Eric Gallagher. When she returned to Monaco she informed her father that she was going back to London to be with the man she loved. Rainier and her siblings weren’t thrilled by the idea of the Princess living in England with a strange man they had never met… A man who was a reporter as well as being ten years her senior. They relented once they found out Eric was a Catholic himself and things didn’t seem quite as scandalous once the engagement came along. Although Prince Rainier wasn’t thrilled by the idea of Princess Audrey living in a foreign country where she would presumably be raising her children as English, he accepted it when they agreed to get married in a catholic ceremony in Monaco. 

After Princess Audrey moved to England, the interest in the royal princess decreased as she went on to live a quiet life. There was more telling scandals of Prince Albert as well as the birth of Princess Caroline’s children. Besides… England already had their own royal family. Interest rose when Princess Audrey gave birth to the couple’s firstborn, Grace’s older brother Alexander, but the interest in the quiet princess died down as soon as it had come. It came once again when Grace came along and then again when Grace’s younger sister Bethany was born before vanishing. Their life was very modest as any family could be with a wealthy father and a princess for a mother. Grace and her siblings weren’t raised in palaces like their cousins nor where they raised in a mansion. They grew up in a nice townhouse in the best part of London because her father refused to live in a mansion. He came from a middle class background, which happened to make him unpopular with her family, so they lived modestly or as modestly a millionaire and a princess could live. 

Her life was the picture perfect life in London, her and her siblings attended an upscale private school, her parents were happily in love even after all those years, and Grace was content or as content as any twelve year old could be. None of the Gallagher children realized who they were because they didn’t see their mother as a princess nor did they see their grandmother as a Hollywood legend. Princess Grace was the character of stories that their mother told them with strong affection and sadness in her blue orbs. Their grandfather was the reigning prince of Monaco but to them he was only their kind grandfather who they saw on summer visits to Monaco. In a way, Grace somehow figured that her mother wanted them to have such a normal childhood since her childhood was so beyond normal. The media wasn’t interested in Princess Audrey’s children since the princess lived so far away from home and Prince Rainier and Princess Grace still had plenty of grandchildren running around Monaco. 

Everything was nearly perfect within the Gallagher household… That was until Princess Audrey became sick. Grace’s mother was diagnosed with cancer, a tumor that had appeared in her brain. Their entire family was devastated by the news, her father trying to find anything that could save her. Even taking her to see doctors across the world but of course that never panned out. Her mother’s side of the family assisted in any way they could but there was no cure in the world for cancer. Their mother’s health started depleting and eventually they shared the news with the Gallagher children. The news could no longer remain hidden to the children. Bethany, the youngest of them, was too young to understand, most likely thinking their mother had a cold but Alex and Grace knew better. It hurt more than anything to see their lively, kind mother in such poor health but they tried to be strong for their little sister. Her grandfather visited London frequently which the media took interest in but it was only under sad circumstances. 

Grace was fifteen when her mother passed away. They had been prepared for the moment for a very long time but it still hit Grace with a wave of shock and misery. Although her mother lived in London for the majority of her adult life, her body was taken back to Monaco where she was buried in a royal ceremony, her body lay to rest right next to her mother. Her father had retreated back into himself, a shell of the man he once was. Despite his love for his wife, he easily relented and allowed her family to take her away with little argument. It was a sad sight to see their father in such a state since he wouldn’t be allowed to mourn their mother properly without traveling hundreds upon hundreds of miles. 

It didn’t take long before their grandfather also passed away. The grief of burying his child and living without his wife was just too much to bare. The reigning prince of Monaco was also laid to rest, reuniting with his wife and daughter in the afterlife. Life in London had become somewhat difficult but the Gallagher family managed. It wasn’t easy living in a city where there were reminders of her mother everywhere she looked. Distracting herself seemed to be the only way to try and move on with her life. When her mother got sick Grace quit ballet but it had been years since she danced and it wasn’t something you could just pick back up after two years. So Grace distracted herself with books which included the newest Harry Potter book.

Harry Potter became an escape for the young Gallagher. Grace was totally and completely immersed in the world of Harry Potter. There were times she wondered what character she was most like. Was she brave and fierce like Ginny Weasley or maybe she was intelligent and witty like Hermione Granger. It was only then that Grace realized that she wasn’t anything like those two iconic characters… Until the fifth book in the series came out and with it came Luna Lovegood. Grace was utterly blown away by the uniqueness and mystery behind the new character. For the first time, Grace felt that she truly identified with a character. 

When they started preparing production for the fifth Harry Potter film, the studio announced that they were holding an open audition for the part of Luna Lovegood. During the year mourning her mother Grace had been exceptionally quiet. Her brother had thrown himself into his studies at University and while Grace was doing fine at school, she kept herself locked away in her bedroom. What her father didn’t know was that Grace had decided to become an actress. It was an odd revelation for a teenager to have so randomly but the young girl knew that she was the only person in the world who could possibly play Luna. So one night during dinner she brought up the topic to her father. They had been eating dinner in the dining room, all three of them sitting at the large table. Grace’s older brother Alex was still away at university so it was just her father, sister, and her. They did their best to ignore the empty seat where their mother used to sit but it was still there in the back of their mind.

“The new Harry Potter film is about to start filming.” Grace mentioned. Her sister glanced up for a moment before looking back down at her plate. Her father didn’t look up but he smiled a small smile which was rare for him.

“Maybe we’ll go see it when it comes out in theaters then.” Grace frowned because that wasn’t what she was trying to get at in the least bit. 

“Well… Since its starting production they’re holding an open casting for a part in the film and I… Well, I thought I might give it a go.” It was clear that she now had her father’s full attention as he dropped his fork and stared at her.

“You want to audition for the film?” An excited look had entered the young blonde’s eyes as she looked back at him. It was the first time she had looked excited about something in over a year and the older man couldn’t help but be warmed by the look of her. 

“Yes, I’d really like to. It’s for one of my favorite characters in the whole entire series.” Her father’s look softened.

“I imagine there will be a lot of other girls auditioning for the part.” Grace nodded.

“I imagine so, father, there will probably be quite a few.”

“I just don’t want you to be hurt if you don’t get the part, darling.” Grace didn’t seem phased by her father’s concern. 

“I promise I won’t be upset if I don’t get the part. Besides… I figure that someone has to get the part so I have just as good of a chance as any other girl.” Eric Gallagher smiled at his daughter. He was really worried for her but he figured her devotion to Harry Potter was her way of coping through the death of her mother. 

“If it’ll make you happy I suppose your Uncle Michael may be able to take you to this audition.” Grace’s eyes lit up with joy as her father seemed content with letting her go to the audition. She hadn’t expected him to be able to come with her to the audition anyways seeing as he was always busy with work but Grace was just glad that he was allowing her to go to the audition in the first place. Grace squealed in excitement before rushing out of her seat to hug her father. He chuckled as his oldest daughter held onto him. It was rare to have such happy moments in the house, especially in these days. 

The story of winning the role of Luna Lovegood wasn’t incredibly exceptional to Grace. In her mind she only proved to them that she was Luna. It was scary the amount of girls who showed up for the audition. Thousands upon thousands. It seemed that she wouldn’t even have a chance in hell to score the part but somehow she had. Grace put all those fears behind her and just did what she set out to do. It wasn’t long before she got called back to do a screen test with the one and only Daniel Radcliffe. The phone call came two days later and she had won the part. A large part of Grace had somehow been confident that she could win the part but now that she had… Her life was about to change forever.

Once news broke out that they had casted Luna Lovegood for the new movie, everything changed. Cameras followed her everywhere and the studio hired body guards for her while she was at school. It was odd how much it changed her life but the notion of cameras and body guards wasn’t completely foreign to her, given her mother’s family. Fortunately with her mother living in London in midst of the quiet life, they didn’t receive quite as much of the attention any other members of the royal family did. It also didn’t take the media long to find out about her background considering Grace Gallagher was going to star in one of world’s biggest film franchise. It didn’t only come out that Grace Gallagher was the daughter of BBC anchorman Eric Gallagher but that she was also the daughter of Princess Audrey of Monaco hence her relation to Grace Kelly. The media went crazy over the whole entire ordeal since Grace was technically a member of the royal family although not England’s royal family. The granddaughter of a Hollywood legend and a prince somehow winning the role of Luna Lovegood at random.

It was like fate.

When the film finally did come out, Grace stole the entire movie from the start to finish. She was entirely Luna Lovegood in a way no one else could’ve been with her dreamy looking gaze and soft voice. Her looks also seemed to catch the interest of many people in the way that she seemed to strongly resemble her late grandmother. Grace had always been a somewhat small child with her skinny legs and short stature but she had grown a ways into her looks when she stumbled into her teenage years. Her golden blonde hair flowed to middle of her back in gentle waves, her blue eyes resembled the blue of the sky, and her facial features had started to morph into that of a teenaged Grace Kelly. Grace’s likeness to Grace Kelly seemed to mesmerize people. The media also found it interesting that she even had the same name of the Hollywood actress.

Grace.

The director of the Harry Potter film recommended Grace to another director after they wrapped filming. Grace never intended to be a professional actress, mostly just wanting to portray Luna because she didn’t think anyone else could, but somehow the opportunity interested her. Before Grace knew it she was auditioning for a new UK tv program entitled "Skins". After a couple of call backs, Grace received word that she had obtained the part of Cassie Ainsworth, a teenaged girl who suffered from an eating disorder. It was a very dark and mature show but Grace begged her father to let her do it and he did. Grace had been doing much better since she had taken up acting and if it made her happy then he would allow her to act her little heart out. Grace’s maternal side of the family weren’t as thrilled about Grace’s new hobby but there wasn’t anything they could do. Maybe if her grandfather was still alive but he wasn’t and her mother’s side of the family didn’t have any control over what she did in her free time. 

Filming a TV show was much different than filming a movie but Grace found the entire creative process more than interesting. She even found out, funnily enough, that her grandmother started out the same way… Working on TV shows although probably none quite like "Skins". It warmed her heart to know that she had a connection with the grandmother that she had never had the chance to know. Supporting roles in films had started to come her way and with each movie she felt that her acting ability grew better and better over time. She started scoring more and more movie roles thanks to the recommendation from directors. It wasn’t until her first lead role in the 2009 film "Lovers in Revolt", her first American film, did she receive wide spread recognition as a talented actress. She didn’t receive any prestigious awards but she won a couple of independent movie awards as a breakout star. It had finally happened… Grace Gallagher had received her first big break in Hollywood. Her dream was finally coming to life. Various people were offering her parts in all kinds of films and tv series. She was slowly becoming an in demand actress. It wasn’t long before Grace had nabbed a lead role on a period piece for the BBC as well as lead roles in upcoming films. Grace Gallagher soon became one of the most in demand young actresses in Hollywood. 

Grace Gallagher was no longer a newcomer to Hollywood but she was both Hollywood royalty and real royalty. It wasn’t long before she found herself in the center of Hollywood romances as she dated costars and even a musician. While her acting seemed to be kept out of comparison to her grandmother’s acting, her personal life was another matter. Grace Kelly, who was also known for her romantic endeavors, was constantly compared to Grace Gallagher who also happened to share the same name as her famous grandmother. Her relationships always ended in turmoil, whether it was due to her smothering security or the media’s constant obsession with the young actress they dubbed as “Princess Grace”. 

Somehow Grace found herself entranced with a British actor that was nowhere near as well-known as her past conquests. The media ate it up anyways because Grace had shown great interest in the older actor. He was her costar in "Midnight in Paris" and not to mention he was nine years older than her. Grace had dated costars before but never had they been significantly older than herself. Her past love interests had only maybe a couple of years on her but that was it. While Tom Hiddleston was much older than her young age of twenty, people loved him. Tom was charming with his wide smile and Gene Wilder like eyes. His blonde curls were endearing and his tall height towered over her smaller height of 5’6. They played a literary power couple in a movie but they played an essential Hollywood couple in real life. 

It wasn’t hard falling in love with Tom. He was kind and quite possibly the most beautiful man she had ever laid eyes on, his facial features resembling that of Greek statues. Tom treated her with adoration, resembling the persona of the era of gentlemen that had long faded in this day and age. He gave her flowers all the time, always sending them to her hotel room even when they weren’t filming anything that day. Tom planned these extravagant outings, finding the greatest places to visit as well as the best places to eat. It also didn’t help that they were in Paris which probably contributed to the romance of it all. 

Now that Grace was a twenty six year old woman, she was more aware of the foolishness she encompassed as a twenty year old. Grace fell in love with the idea of Tom. As a small girl she was always warmed by the story of her mother and father. It was a true story that only sounded a little too much like "Roman Holiday". Her mother had been a princess who had visited a city far away from home and met a handsome stranger, falling in love in only three weeks. Tom seemed like the perfect example of a handsome stranger that showered her with love and adoration. It was all too easy falling for him but things weren’t the same as they were for her parents. Grace wasn’t her mother and it became obvious all too soon that Tom wasn’t her father. 

She expected things to move quickly like they had for her parents. Tom was her first adult relationship. She had relationships in the past but those were in her teenaged years with boys that were roughly the same age as her. What set Tom apart from her ex boyfriends was that he wasn’t a boy… He was a grown man. Grace didn’t expect an engagement after only three weeks… It wasn’t 1983 anymore after all. But she did expect at least a more serious step in their relationship after their three shared weeks in Paris. There was a little of back and forth between her and Tom. They both lived in London, not too far away from each other, so it might’ve made a little sense that they didn’t move in together right away. What was the point? She just couldn’t help but feel hurt that Tom didn’t feel like they were already at that point. It was two years before Tom eventually asked her to move in with him and Grace was more than ready. 

Her mother’s side of the family loved Tom and thought he was the perfect match for the young heiress. He was polite and wealthy in his own right, being English also gave him that edge. Tom looked to be the perfect example of what a prince should look like and together they looked to be royalty. Her other boyfriends were either too immature or too much trouble, especially her last boyfriend who smoked and swore a little too much for their liking. Not Tom… No, Tom was their dream match for the young blonde actress. Everything was perfect for the couple. Grace thought a proposal would come soon after the move in and she was right. Only the wedding came three years after the proposal… The divorce came a year after the wedding. Grace had been so wrong about everything and in the end she didn’t just lose her husband but she also lost a friend.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace makes the move to New York in an effort to put her past behind her. She also prepares for her upcoming role as her grandmother in a new film.

It had been close to three months since her divorce and Grace was doing okay… Or as okay as any twenty six year old divorced single woman could be. She had spent the past couple of months staying in Bath, England at her family’s summer house but had decided that she had spent enough time wallowing in her own self-pity. It was time to finally leave England… Time to leave home and start over. London contained too many painful memories of the moments she shared with Tom. Grace was a little all too eager to rid herself of all the things holding her down to London which may have even included friends. Grace wasn’t all too keen on having friends at the moment especially celebrity friends. It was what got her in trouble in the first place thanks to the whole Tom-Taylor fiasco.

Her grandmother, on her father’s side, used to tell her a story about a couple she once knew that was good friends with another couple. The couple grew a little close and it turned out that the husband and wife from the opposite couple were having an affair. That was what friends got you. Her friends in London left voice message after voice message, giving her their condolences. Emma Watson and Bonnie Wright went on a tirade about how much of an arse Tom was and how they couldn’t believe Taylor would do such a thing. Matthew Lewis was sweet and endearing, never making a remark about Tom but instead asking her if she was okay and if she needed anything. Even Ryan Gosling, a former costar and good friend, called and told her she was more than welcome to stay with him and his wife Eva. It was incredibly kind of them but it made Grace uncomfortable. She knew if she spent any time with them their pity would only remind her of the betrayal of the two people she was closest to in her life. The media already was enough of a reminder, Grace didn’t need her friends there looking down at her with sympathetic looks. 

Grace knew that she couldn’t live in Los Angeles(Tom and her had a house in the Hills there) either so she moved to New York City. It may have been a weird move to make since her former best friend famously lived in the city but Grace was sure that the blonde popstar was more than occupied over in London. Life in New York was hard at first. It turned out that you actually didn’t need a car there which was similar to London life. It was louder than London and LA, especially at night, which made it hard for her to sleep but also think. It was a good thing for her in the end. None of her friends lived in New York either which gave her the space she needed. There were times that they would text her about meeting up but Grace just ignored the messages, knowing it was better to avoid them at all costs. 

It wasn’t easy adjusting to her newly divorced life… being divorced was one thing but being a divorced celebrity was entirely different. Grace Gallagher was in the press every day for a month and even after the fact she was talked about regularly. She was part of one of the most scandalous Hollywood love triangles to date. A modern day Debbie Reynolds, Eddie Fisher, and Elizabeth Taylor type of scandal. Only Grace was the Debbie Reynolds in the situation. Her husband left her for her best friend of many years. If there was any person that Grace was incredibly close to, it was Taylor. Something about them clicked from the moment they first met. They were both the goody two shoes type who also had a dry, sarcastic sense of humor at the same time. They never got into any trouble and were both natural blondes who had a liking for vintage looking skirts and Christmas. Grace Gallagher and Taylor Swift were the media’s favorite best friend duo. They were even up there with famous friendships like Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. 

It all ended four months ago. 

Having your divorce and your best friend’s betrayal in your face constantly wasn’t exactly an ideal way of getting over a relationship. She was back in apartment life after the divorce, a small change from the large townhouse her and Tom lived in while in London together as well as a change from the house in LA. It was nice in a way since it was completely different from her life in London. It was in an upper class apartment complex that had a doorman and everything. The building was large and beautiful, leaving a beautiful view of the city from her apartment on the fifth floor. The city skyline made her miss home all the more and she wasn’t talking about LA. She missed 30 St Mary Axe in its iconic nature that somehow resembled an Easter egg or at least in her eyes, the empire state building just wasn’t the same to her. Grace missed all the little shops and hole in the wall restaurants that turned out to have the best fish and chips in the city. The memory of taking a walk along the Thames River also filled her with misery just thinking about it as well as the fact of seeing Westminster Abbey, The Tower, and the London eye while taking the short but eventful walk. She reminisced about visiting Covenant Garden in her school girl days, all the little displays set up with neat little trinkets all while street performers performed for your entertainment. It was dead silent at night, the streets abandoned save for a couple of shady looking people. If there was one thing she missed most of all… It was the smell of roasted nuts almost anywhere you went, a vendor standing by ready to make his day’s earning. London didn’t have the fresh and soothing smell to it like Edinburgh had but it still felt like home to her. New York smelled similar but it was completely different in the fact that the city never slept as it was famous for. New York was loud and noisy but it provided Grace with the distraction that she needed. 

It only took her about a month in the city before she decided that she was way too bored and lonely to not have any companionship. One summer afternoon she went to the local animal shelter, looking for a friend, and determined to meet her soul mate. The famous actress looked at dog after dog but not seeing any particular K-9 that caught her eyes until her blue orbs landed on a rugged looking German Shepard. His name was Ash and he looked a little worn down despite being only three years old. A good chunk of his left ear was missing and he had a long scar that ran over his left eye, leaving him blind in one eye. He would’ve looked like a scary dog to most but to Grace he was perfect. Ash became her jogging partner as well as the subject of all her Instagram posts. It may have been slightly ridiculous notion having a dog as a best friend but he was what it took for Grace to leave her past in her past. He made her happy. 

Ash was a new step in her life. She had invited someone else into her life, someone new, and although he wasn’t human, it was a sort of companionship that Grace needed. Her life became encompassed by three things… Ash, Work, and Netflix. It might not have been a healthy number of things in her life but it was a step closer to starting over as well as a step further from Tom’s presence in her life.

 

It had been several months since she had worked on a film set of any type but Grace knew that it was time to get back to work. Her agent was pretty adamant about it too so she was even more determined to work on another project. This project in particular was exceptionally important to the blonde actress. It was a film that depicted the life of her grandmother, Princess Grace and her life as a Hollywood legend and princess. The director had offered the part to Grace with no audition necessary. Grace knew why… Who else was better to play Grace Kelly than the granddaughter of the famous actress who also happened to look exactly like the late princess? Grace may have been a little hesitant to play the part but mostly because people would think that she was entitled. The director wanted her for the film because she was Grace Kelly’s granddaughter but she was also a very talented actress. She had been nominated for an Oscar after all and that was no easy task. So with some convincing from her family who was determined to get the only person in the world who could play the part, she decided to give in and take the job. Her mother’s side of the family was just relieved that there would finally be a correct portrayal of Princess Grace. 

The media went wild with the news of Grace Gallagher playing her grandmother in a film directed by one of Hollywood’s greatest directors. Truthfully, the film was unlike any other film that Grace had ever worked on. It was the first time Grace was involved with the creative process of making a film. The writers always asked her for information about her grandfather or any details she may have heard about her grandmother. Grace told them everything she could remember although she didn’t feel like she was particularly helpful even with everyone telling her that she was. Grace also managed to convince her uncle to allow them to film in the palace in Monaco when it came time to start production over there. It wasn’t very difficult to do so, her uncle was more than happy to allow them to film there since Grace was the one starring in the film. 

The casting for the new film went fairly smoothly or as smoothly as it could go. They casted Robert Downey Jr. as Clark Gable which most people weren’t happy with. Grace didn’t see a problem with the casting, Mr. Downey didn’t look a lot like Clark Gable but he had that same kind of charm that Clark Gable was famous for. Lily Collins was casted as Audrey Hepburn which Grace thought she was perfect for. It was kind of an emotional moment for Grace when they casted someone as Audrey Hepburn since the late actress was her mother’s namesake but Grace decided to move forward. George Clooney was casted as Cary Grant who was a good friend of her grandmother’s. Grace thought the casting of the older actor was very fitting and she was happy to work with George again. The last time she had worked with him was around six or so years ago. Lastly, there was the casting of Prince Rainier, Grace’s grandfather and the love of Grace Kelly’s life. Grace didn’t have much input into the casting but the director assured her that they would make sure they made the right pick. 

And so they finally casted her grandfather.

The actor they casted as the late prince of Monaco wasn’t very well known to Grace. Grace didn’t exactly know how she felt about the casting since the actor wasn’t familiar to her. His name was Pedro Pascal, an actor who was much older than herself as it turned out. Since she didn’t know much about him she decided to google search him. Grace discovered that he was a forty one year old actor, about fifteen years older than Grace, who was originally born in Chile before moving to the United States when he was very young. Pascal apparently had a role on “Game of Thrones” before his character had a gruesome death scene like many characters before and after him. Although Grace had previously worked with another famous “Games of Thrones” actor, Richard Madden, she had never seen the television series herself. 

Grace immediately found herself curious about the actor and sought out any work of his that wouldn’t take a few seasons before she got to his part. So she watched his Netflix series “Narcos” which was about the drug war that went on in Columbia in the late eighties, centering around Pablo Escobar. It wasn’t the kind of series that Grace typically watched but she couldn’t help but get addicted to the series. It was a sad moment when season one ended and she realized she would have to wait for the next season. Pedro Pascal was a handsome looking man but not in the same way that Tom was. The older actor was a rugged sort of handsome with his dark eyes and thick, dark hair. His nose was rather larger and almost crooked but somehow it added to his handsomeness. Grace couldn’t help but find him attractive as she watched the series and cursed herself for being silly and acting like a petty little school girl. It had been too long since she had been with someone and now she was acting foolish.  
It was a Friday morning when Grace retrieved a phone call from her agent. The production was about to start on the film in close to a week so Grace was just spending what little time she had to herself before she would be shipped back to LA. Her dog Ash was resting on his bed in the living room while Grace read through a Gillian Flynn novel, the tv was set on “Fixer Upper”, making her Friday almost routine as it had been for the past four months. She had just finished the press tour for “The Shallows” and was set on getting as much rest as she could possibly get before going back to work. When her phone rang, Grace immediately went to set her book down and lowered the volume on the tv. 

“Hey, Christine.” Grace answered as she picked up her phone. 

“Good Morning, Grace.” Her agent replied cheerfully.

“So what’s going on? I assume you wouldn’t call me unless there was something terribly amiss.” Grace joked.

“Well, you’re set to start filming in a week.”

“Yes, I’m well aware, Chris.” 

“So one of the actors has contacted me. Apparently he would like to meet with you to discuss his role.” Grace raised a brow.

“Has he? And which actor would that be?”

“Pedro Pascal. The one that was casted as Prince Rainier.” Grace was a bit surprised to hear that. Grace had worked with the older actor years prior whilst filming “The Descendants” so she was more than sure that it was George calling even though he already had her personal phone number. George was always playing fully little tricks on her like that, things that only he found funny.

“And did Mr. Pascal say where he would like to meet?” 

“Well, he thought he would have to wait until you arrived in LA but when I told him you were living in the city, he thought you might like to meet for drinks this evening. I gave him your address and he suggested a discreet restaurant named Dorsia where neither of you will be bothered. He would really like to know more about your grandfather before filming starts.” Grace considered what her agent told her. Usually she wouldn’t say yes to meeting a complete stranger, even if he was a costar, but this costar was taking up the role of her grandfather so it would do him some good to gain more knowledge about the part he was playing. 

“Very well. Did he say what time?”

“No, he decided to leave that up to you.” Grace smiled.

“Tell him that I’ll meet him there at 8:30. I have to travel to Philadelphia shortly and won’t be back for some time. I have some business that needs to be taken care of.” Grace told her. It was true that she was heading to Pennsylvania but it was only for the day since she needed to settle some business after purchasing a house and property. It was her grandmother’s childhood home that had recently gone on the market. Grace knew that her uncle would’ve purchased it had she not done so herself but the famous actress really wanted to work on the project of remodeling the house into a museum for the public. 

“Sounds good, Grace, I’ll make sure to give Mr. Pascal the information.” They bid each other goodbye and Grace was left alone to gather her thoughts. It was an odd thing to imagine since this was the last thing she expected. It was only a few days ago when she was watching the actor’s television show but now she was meeting him in person. It was a bit beyond belief since she had become a recent fan of his work but she was excited at the prospect of meeting him.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace meets Pedro.

After her short trip to Pennsylvania she found that she didn’t have any time to stop by her apartment before the meet up with her costar so she just had her Uber driver drop her off in front of the restaurant. Grace wasn’t very concerned with changing, it wasn’t as if it was a date anyways. She didn’t even know the man, it was simply two people meeting up to discuss work. Grace was wearing her navy blue sundress, patterned with little anchors amidst the bodice, that fit her snugly around the chest but flowed freely from the waist down. It was a halter top dress that tied itself around her back that exposed a bit of skin but was very modest amongst her cleavage. She paired the pretty dress with a pair of matching wedges. Her long blonde hair was pulled into a subtle French braid off to the side and she wore a pair of designer sunglasses that shielded her from sunshine as well as any sort of recognition. Grace thought she looked presentable for a first meeting so she didn’t worry at all. 

“We’re here, Miss Gallagher.” Her Uber driver told her. He was a young guy that was probably around twenty two or twenty three. The guy was incredibly kind and discreet to her compared to other Uber drivers. Grace smiled in thanks before paying the man and taking leave. A rush of nerves overcame her as she stood in front of the restaurant. She was always a bit shy when it came to meeting people especially since the whole ordeal in London. Grace decided to shake off any uncomfortable feelings and headed inside. The restaurant didn’t seem too over the top like what she was used to but it didn’t seem low cost either. It had a rather warm and friendly atmosphere so Grace was looking forward to trying it out. She was new to New York and didn’t know of many places to eat. The hostess stood behind the counter, looking very professional. Grace offered her a kind smile as she approached the counter.

“Hello, I’m supposed to meet a friend here.” The hostess smiled at her but Grace was sure it was forced as she must force many smiles a day.

“Yes, and do you know who the reservation might be under?” 

“Um… Mr. Pascal. We were supposed to have dinner at 8:30.” The hostess gave her a knowing look. The slightly older woman fully expected that the blonde, standing in front of her, to be yet another “Game of Thrones” fan who had followed the actor to the restaurant.

“I’m sorry, miss, but unless you’re Grace Gallagher then I’m afraid I can’t allow you to go back there.” Grace stared at her before remembering she still had her sunglasses on. The young actress laughed in good humor before taking off her sunglasses and tucking them away in her designer purse. The hostess’s eyes widened in shock.

“I’m so sorry, Miss Gallagher, I didn’t recognize you.” Grace just smiled.

“That’s completely fine. With those sunglasses anyone could escape recognition. It’s very sunny outside and my eyes are rather sensitive to the sun. I blame it on London’s gloominess.” The hostess smiled in return.

“I’ll take you to Mr. Pascal. He only arrived about ten minutes before you did.” Grace nodded appreciatively as the hostess led her out to the dining area. It was a large restaurant with high ceilings but none of the chandeliers that the places, Tom used to take her to, had. She loved the subtlety of it all. Grace spotted him towards the back of the restaurant but he was hard to miss with his handsome looks. She suddenly felt a bit shy as they approached the table, his face lit up with a smile and he stood up from his seat to greet her. The hostess smiled at the both of them. Seeing the older actor up close was much more nerve wracking than she could’ve possibly have imagined. His dark eyes looked upon her with an unreadable expression, his dark locks looked more contained than from his time on “Narcos”. His olive skin tone was much darker in comparison to her own pale complexion and Grace felt as if she had reverted back to a bashful school girl who had a crush on her teacher. 

Pedro had been exceedingly anxious to meet the young English actress that he had heard so much about. It was a success when he learned that he had nailed his audition for the part of Prince Rainier but even more so when he learned that he would be working with a cast of incredible actors and actresses which included Grace Gallagher. She was an exceptionally famous actress that had gained attention from her part in the Harry Potter franchise. It wasn’t just her acting skills that were famous but her looks as well. The blonde actress famously shared identical looks with her late grandmother who was also a famous actress. 

He was a bit frightened over the scandal and divorce that broke out a couple of months ago because Pedro thought it meant that Grace Gallagher would drop out of the project. It would’ve been a shame if she dropped out because there wasn’t anyone better to play Grace Kelly in a film. When he expressed his concerns to the director, Baz Luhrmann, he simply told him that Grace had spoken of no desires to leave the project. When he contacted Grace Gallagher’s agent, he hadn’t expected to schedule a meet up so soon. He was glad that she had agreed to meet with him in the end since he desired to discuss her grandfather with her. Pedro only knew what he had read up on the late prince and since Prince Rainer’s granddaughter was his costar, he just had to take advantage of the opportunity. Heaven knows that he didn’t have as easy of a time when working on “Narcos”. 

The moment she walked in the dining area of the restaurant, Pedro knew it was Grace Gallagher from first glance. She presented herself in that old Hollywood style but maybe that was because her grandmother was Hollywood royalty. She wore a beautiful sundress that had a vintage design, the color complimenting her cerulean blue eyes. It was odd seeing her in person because he could definitely see the resemblance between her and Grace Kelly. They both had the same golden, blonde hair although Grace looked different with it braided off to the side. He even noticed that the English actress had some of the same facial features as the late princess. The same cute, upturned pixie nose along with the same heart shaped face with high cheek bones. Her skin was a pale creamy color that may have been from growing up in the gloominess of London. She was slender in figure and only a couple of inches shorter than him even with her heels on. Pedro could definitely see what others meant by Grace Gallagher, it was eerie looking at her because it was almost like Grace Kelly staring back at you. There were differences between their style and make up. Grace Kelly was old Hollywood but Grace Gallagher was new Hollywood. She truly looked the part of Grace Kelly even when filming wasn’t due to start for a week. 

“Your waiter should be with you shortly.” The hostess told the two of them kindly before taking off before Grace had the chance to thank her. 

“It’s nice to finally meet you in the flesh, I’m Pedro.” Pedro introduced himself, his voice deep and husky. Grace blushed, suddenly shy by his presence. He held out his hand for her to shake and Grace gently shook it, noticing how small her hand felt in his.

“Grace… And I’ve heard so much about you.” Pedro smirked at the small blonde.

“Not all bad I hope.” Grace laughed but shook her head.

“Of course not.” Pedro couldn’t help but look over her in appreciation. Not only was she just as beautiful in person but she already seemed like a friendly and soft spoken young woman. 

“Please have a seat.” Pedro said as he pulled out her chair for her. It made Grace pause for a moment in sadness since it was a gesture Tom used to do all the time for her when they first dated… But like all things, it faded with time. 

“Thank you.” Grace told him and he took the seat across from her. “I apologize if I kept you waiting too long. I came straight here from Pennsylvania.” Pedro gave her a surprised look before smiling.

“I wasn’t waiting very long but I hope that you didn’t come rushing back just for me.” He said teasingly, his tone coming off a little seductive but Grace chose to ignore it. She blushed and laughed.

“No, I’m afraid not. I only traveled there for the day to take care of some real estate business but everything’s finished now.” Pedro nodded.

“Well, that’s good.” Grace was thankful that he didn’t pry. “I have to admit I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for quite some time. I really loved “Lovers in Revolt” and lets not forget “The Descendants” and “Ruby Sparks” of course.” Grace blushed deeply and Pedro noticed that she seemed to be more shy than he would’ve expected.  
“Thank you, It’s not often people are a fan of those films rather than the Harry Potter films.” Pedro nodded, laughing. Grace noticed how he got these deep wrinkles near his eyes whenever he smiled or laughed. It looked very charming and even attractive to her which was something that she didn’t even want to admit to herself. 

“I know what you mean… I get that all the time with “Game of Thrones.” 

“I actually meant to tell you that I’ve become a huge fan of “Narcos”. I streamed it in last week and binge-watched the entire season in one day. It’s very addicting.” Grace told him honestly and Pedro felt humbled by her praise. He hadn’t expected her to be a fan of “Narcos” but he was completely curious by her interest in it.

“What did you think of it?” Grace eyes lit up in excitement. 

“I absolutely loved it of course. It almost reminded me of the first season of “True Detective”… I mean the investigation part of the show but also a little of the odd dynamic between your character and Murphy but much less troubled. I also loved how it showed the portion from the investigation perspective of the series but also the portion about Pablo Escobar and his point of view.” She blushed after realized she had been rambling on. “Sorry, I suppose I get rather passionate about the shows I watch.”

“No, don’t stop… Keep praising my work.” He said, an amused look on his face. “So do you still think Pablo Escobar is the villain in the show?” Grace bit her lip nervously.  
“The show makes the lines sort of blurry but I know Escobar is evil but Pena and Murphy aren’t exactly saints. I love that they’re flawed and not the Captain America type.” Pedro gave her a curious glance.

“Captain America type?” 

“You know… The good Samaritan type who follows every single rule and command. I like that they aren’t perfect because who likes a boring hero anyways?” Pedro laughed at her explanation but understood what she meant.

“I’m sure you understand the anti-hero stance more than anyone. I heard that you might be playing Catwoman which I hope is true. I’m so envious of the characters you play.” Grace gave him an amused look.

“What? You want to dress up in a skintight, superhero costume? No one’s approached for any such film but if the costume is as cool as Michelle Pfeiffer’s costume then I’ll consider it. ” Pedro laughed, his brown eyes lighting up with humor.

“No, I just meant that you play such interesting characters. Your characters are vulnerable and have the wittiest remarks… It’s impossible to imagine anyone else playing those characters because you bring them to life so well. I admit that I’m not too familiar with Harry Potter since it was a little after my time but I have seen the films and Luna steals the show in almost every movie.” Grace smiled in thanks, grateful for his praise.

“Luna Lovegood is the only character that I’ve ever felt an overwhelming pressure to portray. If I didn’t portray her right then there would be a lot of people disappointed in me. There still is quite a few people disappointed in my performance in those films but you can’t make everyone happy. It’s probably because of that character that I’m so nervous about this film.” Pedro furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

“You’re nervous about playing your grandmother?” Grace nodded nervously.

“She was just such an icon and I never knew her since she died before I was born. I only know what people have told me about her. When Baz first came to me about the movie I talked about her a lot with my family. I only knew about her from the stories my mother and grandfather told her when I was a young girl as well as anything I read about her. I could tell you a lot about my grandfather as I’m sure you’re eager to hear. My grandfather and I were exceptionally close, I spent every summer over there from the time I was born.” Pedro considered what she told him about her nervousness over the part. It made sense since she was playing a woman, while yes she was related to, who she looked like but Grace didn’t know much about Grace Kelly personally. 

“I’m sure you’ll be incredible.”

“Well, Baz found some people that knew my grandmother as a young actress in New York and I talked with them so that helped a lot. I’m much more confident about it now than I was before but I just don’t want to let my family down. They were rather disappointed with Nicole Kidman’s portrayal of her and I want to make them proud.” Pedro nodded. It didn’t hit him until now but he realized that he was talking to royalty. Not just Hollywood royalty but real royalty… He wondered if Grace was technically a princess. Her mother was Princess Audrey but did that make her a princess as well? He knew people in entertainment referred to her as “Princess Grace” but none of the movie credits have ever referred to her as a princess. 

“I’m sure you’ll make them more than proud.” He told her and she smiled in thanks. Before Grace could reply, their waiter came by awaiting their order. Grace had honestly forgotten to even look at her menu so she let Pedro order for her since this place seemed to be familiar to him. It wasn’t long before the food along with wine was brought out for them, Pedro and Grace killing the time in between with conversation about her recent move to New York. He promised to show her around after they were done filming the movie since they were about to leave for LA anyways. 

“So what do you want to know about my grandfather?” The question caught the older actor off guard. He had meant to slowly bring the topic into their conversation but he hadn’t thought the shy, soft spoken actress could be so blunt. It was a delightful surprise.

“Well, I don’t want to seem intrusive.” Grace only smiled at his softly, warmed by his concern.

“I have a lot of fond memories of my grandfather, talking about him isn’t hard for me. He’s much happier where he’s at now.” Pedro thoughtfully took in what she said about her grandfather before posing the first question. 

“Well… I guess the most obvious question is what he was like.” Grace nodded.

“Of course. My grandfather was a very serious man, he was all business with little tolerance for silliness. People didn’t take him as seriously because he married an American actress and he hated that. He married my grandmother because he loved her as well as the fact that she was an intelligent and kind person. He would’ve never married my grandmother if she was just simply another pretty face. He didn’t care about those things.” Pedro nodded as he took in what the blonde actress was telling him. 

“I know from what I read that he didn’t like the fact that she was an actress.” Grace nodded but frowned somewhat. 

“That’s a bit more of a grey area. My grandfather thought the whole scheme of Hollywood was a silly idea. He thought there were more important things in the world than films and celebrities… And he was right in some ways. However, I don’t think he believed in these notions as strongly as he wanted everyone to believe. He was very serious but I think he was also a little insecure and jealous. The reason he refused to let my grandmother go back to Hollywood was because he was scared she wouldn’t come back.” 

“He thought that once she had another taste of filming movies that her life in Monaco wouldn’t be as appealing?” Grace thought about that statement briefly.

“Yes and no. My grandmother always missed acting and she had such a short career that I think she always felt a bit incomplete… but my grandfather was also afraid that she would meet a handsome costar and leave him. My grandmother was famous for her relationships with handsome male leads.” 

“Did that strain things between them?” Grace shrugged.

“Truthfully, yes. I think a small part of her may have resented him just a little for not letting her go back and instead keeping her there in Monaco to be a dutiful wife. There were rumors that he wasn’t faithful to her but those were lies. I know for a fact that he never had any affair, he loved her a lot. In fact, he always expressed regret for not letting her go back to Hollywood. He used to tell me while he was extremely possessive, he was also afraid of what others thought of him. It’s no secret that the people of Monaco weren’t pleased with the idea of their princess returning to Hollywood. My grandfather told me that he only wished he could back and make her more happy.” Pedro nodded. It surprised him the amount of information Grace was giving to him, information that he hadn’t heard about despite his research for the part.

“I imagine he was an amazing father?” Grace nodded happily.

“Yes, although he was busy a lot, he was a very devoted father. He adored all of his children equally and did his best to be there. My grandfather was stern and straight laced but he only did it for their benefit. My aunt Stephanie was very rebellious when she was younger so my grandfather was very torn about what to do. He disproved of nearly everything she did, him seeing it for her benefit but Stephanie didn’t see it that way. I think she drove him absolutely mad with all her antics. My grandparents probably became closer than ever just in the attempt to control my aunt in those last years. It doesn’t hurt to say that he was very family oriented.” 

“Any habits he had that I should be aware of?” Pedro inquired curiously.

“There is one… He was a very heavy smoker. My aunt Caroline told me he would sometimes smoke sixty cigarettes a day.”

“Wow… That’s extensive.” Grace laughed.

“You’re not kidding. I think that’s about all I can think of at the moment that you don’t typically read in any biography about him. If you have any other questions you can ask me but if you want to do more research I’m sure you can read some of his journals they have at the palace in Monaco… When we arrive there to start filming of course.” Pedro looked at her in surprise.

“Is that allowed?” Grace nodded.

“I’ll have to let my uncle know but I don’t see any reason as to why not. I mean it’s not like he has any terrible secrets written in them. I would know since I’ve read them… I just think they might provide you with more of an exact idea of him.” Pedro found that he liked having this conversation with Grace. He hadn’t expected her to act as professional and he wouldn’t have held that against her. The young actress had just gone through a horrendous ordeal and it didn’t help that it was always in the media. It was just that Pedro hadn’t expected to enjoy spending time with someone who was much younger than himself. According to google, Grace was at least fifteen years younger than he was. It gave him some hesitance over whether or not to flirt with her but Grace hadn’t seemed exactly disgusted by the notion. 

“Thank you for that.”

“It isn’t a problem.” She replied politely. Pedro admired how her vibrant blue eyes shone in the soft candle light. He decided to change the subject before he got too caught up in the beautiful actress who was a little too young for him anyways.

“So are you looking forward to LA?” Pedro asked and Grace shook her head. “What? You don’t like LA?”

“It’s not that… It’s just that it’s a little too hot for my taste. Even the weather here in New York is a little too warm for my liking.” Pedro smiled.

“This is nothing compared to Chile. I bet the gloom and rain of England is much more your preference.” 

“Well… Yes. What I wouldn’t give for a little rain right now.” Pedro was finding himself more and more curious about Grace Gallagher. She was quite the mysterious figure to him.

“Do you have somewhere to stay in LA? I would completely envy you if you did… It looks like I’ll be living out of a hotel room for a few weeks.” Grace smiled but shook her head.

“I do have a house in Beverly Hills but I think I’m going to be selling it soon so I’ll probably just stay in a hotel too.” It was obvious that Grace didn’t want to speak anymore of the subject of her house in Beverly Hills so he didn’t pry into her business. She had been very short and curt just then so it didn’t take a genius to figure out. He, instead, asked her about their costars.

“Have you met any of the other cast members?” Grace regarded his question thoughtfully before nodding.

“I’ve worked with George on “The Descendants” but I can’t say that I’ve ever met Lily. I’ve actually met Robert a good number of times although I haven’t seen him in a couple of years. I also met Anthony Hopkins at a couple of premieres over the past few years.” Grace told him, not wanting to mention that the only reason she knew Robert and Anthony was because of her ex-husband. Talking about divorce didn’t seem like a good way to go.

“What are they like?” Pedro inquired curiously.

“Well, Robert is very eccentric and has an odd sense of humor. Don’t take anything he does to heart. He loves messing with new friends. Anthony, on the other hand, is very kind and welcoming. I don’t know Anthony quite as much as I know Robert and George so there isn’t really much else I can tell you about him. George is like Robert in a few ways, he also has an odd sense of humor. The only difference is that George is a big prankster on movie sets so beware.” Pedro nodded.

“Well, it sounds like I might get along well with them. I was afraid one of them might secretly be a huge diva.” 

“Well, Robert is quite the diva but I’m sure we’ll be able to manage him.” They both laughed together, imagining a dramatic and diva version of Robert Downey Jr. After they finished dinner, which Pedro kindly paid much to Grace’s discomfort, he demanded to take her to a local bar so they could get wasted. Grace was a bit hesitant seeing as how she didn’t know Pedro that well and she didn’t drink often. When the young actress did drink, it was only in her own apartment with a couple glasses of wine. She was never one for excessive drinking or partying, always being the goody two shoes type. Reluctantly, Grace agreed to accompany him to the bar he spoke of. He offered her his arm as they exited the restaurant and started to head over to the bar; Grace reluctantly linked her arm through his. 

It didn’t mean anything… He was just being kind.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace and Pedro go out on the two for a little pre-film bonding.

Standing this close to him she could smell the faint scent of his cologne that smelled of spice and pinewood, it was a comforting smell because for once she wasn’t immediately reminded of Tom. It was dark when they left the restaurant, nearly ten in the evening, but Pedro seemed to know his way around the city. She let him take the lead and prayed that she would be able to get to her apartment soon enough. Grace hoped that she wouldn’t get caught by the paparazzi in her completely innocent dinner date with Pedro. She could just see the headlines now… ‘Hollywood Princess Rebounds with Costar in Aftermath of Divorce and Betrayal’. It would be terribly humiliating if the tabloids got the wrong idea about her. If there was anything she was trying to do, it was avoiding the spotlight and staying out of the press. It might’ve made good publicity for the new film but Grace’s reputation wasn’t worth the inevitable problems that would arise. 

When they arrived at the bar that Pedro seemed to frequent, she was surprised to say the least. It didn’t look too different from the pubs back home in London. With all the alcohol displayed behind the counter as well as the dim lighting that went along with it, the bar was nearly a perfect match. It didn’t seem as modern or new aged as she would’ve thought a New York bar would look like. A couple of the tvs were on, playing a sports game a few Americans in the bar seemed focused on. Grace was never really a fan of sports… Even British sports. Pedro led her to the long bar and helped her into the seat, politely and in an almost gentlemanly fashion. Grace thanked him kindly, happy that the dim lighting would keep him from seeing the blush on her face. 

“I’ll have a shot of whisky, Ethan.” Pedro told the bartender who seemed to know Pedro quite well, given the fact that he gave him a knowing nod before going to get his drink ready. Pedro glanced at the blonde sitting next to him at the bar. “What do you want?”

“I’ll just have a glass of water?” Grace told the youngish bartender softly, her kind smile charming the bartender. Pedro looked at her in disbelief, ignoring the cute way she pronounced “water”.

“I thought you Brits liked your alcohol? Come on… I took you here so we could bond over some drinking.” Grace just shrugged.

“That’s a stereotype… I only like drinking wine in the comfort of my own apartment.” Pedro just stared at her before turning to the bartender.

“She’ll have a rum and coke.” The bartender immediately went to work on getting Grace’s drink ready, leaving Grace to glare at her new costar playfully.

“I can order for myself.” Pedro only smirked at her.

“It’s no fun if I’m the only one drinking.” Grace rolled her eyes.

“I have to warn you… I don’t tend to hold my alcohol very well. It’s why I got all the drinking alcohol in public places out of my system when I was eighteen.” Pedro raised a brow curiously.

“Eighteen?” Grace widened her eyes as she remembered a very important detail about American drinking laws.

“That’s right! I almost forgot that Americans can’t drink until they’re twenty one, in the UK the legal drinking age is eighteen.” Pedro just shook his head in disbelief. 

“God, how is America the best country on earth if you can’t even start drinking until you’re twenty one?” Grace only shrugged. 

“Oh, you know… Just because America has freedom, Jamba Juice, and Kevin Costner.” Pedro laughed because he couldn’t help it. Grace Gallagher having a sense of humor was the last thing that he would’ve expected but it was a delightful surprise. 

“Why Kevin Costner? Why not Harrison Ford, Matthew McConaughey, or Mark Wahlburg?” Grace just smiled sheepishly. 

“I don’t really know myself… There’s just something about Mr. Costner that intrigues me. Have you not seen The Body Guard? Robin Hood? Dances with Wolves?” He chuckled.

“Yes, I have… Well, except “The Body Guard.” Grace grew quiet, her eyes widening in surprise as if Pedro just told her that he was Jim Morrison’s long lost son. 

“How could you have never seen ‘The Body Guard’? That’s his best movie.” He only gave her an amused look.

“I’m sure a lot of people would disagree with you.” Grace just looked at him.

“I’m being completely sincere. I love that movie… Whitney’s also in it as well so there’s that.” 

“Well, I guess I’ll finally have to watch it.” He paused for a moment as the bartender brought them their drinks, briskly setting them on the wooden bar. “So speaking of body guards… Do you have your own body guard?” Grace looked at him suspiciously before taking a brief sip of her rum and coke. It warmed her up slightly, giving her a bit of a surprise since it had been so long since she had any hard liquor to drink even if it was watered down with coke. 

“Sometimes I suppose.” Pedro smirked.

“Really? So you have your very own Kevin Costner?” Grace rolled her eyes playfully.

“Not like that! I just mean that sometimes I’m assigned a bodyguard.” It was at that point when Pedro started getting a little curious about the lifestyle of a Hollywood royal. He was much older than the young actress but was very much inexperienced in the way of Hollywood. Grace Gallagher had been in the business since she was a teenager. Pedro might have been auditioning for parts for twenty years but he was new to the role of a leading man. Grace had starred in many big productions in both movies and television for nearly ten years. He was interested in working alongside an actress, while much younger than himself, had a huge amount of experience in Hollywood as one of the most in demand actresses in the business. Her popularity was somewhere in between the likes of Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone. 

“Do you have one all the time? Is there one that’s been tailing us this whole time?” He looked suspiciously around the bar for comedic effect and Grace laughed. She decided that it wasn’t going to be difficult to work with Pedro. He had a hilarious sense of humor that seemed to turn into a sort of fun banter when paired against Grace’s quick wit and sarcasm. She didn’t know what she exactly expected of him prior to meeting Pedro. Maybe she thought he was going to be extremely serious as well as the no nonsense type given his age. Usually older actors tended to look down at her, just labeling her off as another dumb, blonde twenty something actress but that clearly wasn’t going to be the case with Pedro. 

Grace was happy about that.

“No, there’s no one tailing us so don’t worry. I actually don’t hire any body guards so I typically don’t have any. I mean… It’s not like I’m Justin Bieber or anything.” 

“But you do have one sometimes?” Grace shrugged.

“Only when the production company hires one for me. Usually it’s just for public events like award shows so it’s not that often and not for a long time.” Pedro nodded because he kind of understood why Grace would need security for events like that. She may not be Justin Bieber with thousands of screaming, hormonal teenaged girl fans but Grace was an incredibly famous actress who you had to live under rock to not have heard of. Plus, she probably had a lot of Harry Potter fans from her days as Luna Lovegood in the international, beloved movie franchise. 

Pedro had to admit that the young actress had become the subject of his curiosity ever since he was casted in the film in which he would play Grace Gallagher’s love interest. He always knew who the actress was but to be honest he hadn’t watched many of her films aside from the independent films that he felt were her best work. It was only recently that he had even watched the Harry Potter franchise. Harry Potter wasn’t a part of his childhood, coming out way after his time as a youth. Now that he had watched the movies, which took close to a week for him to watch, he had to admit that he was a fan. He paid closer attention to the movies when Grace Gallagher made her first appearance in the fifth film as the quirky but mysterious Luna Lovegood. It filled him with fascination to know that this was Grace’s first movie as well as first acting gig. The actress appeared to be a natural on screen, no one would’ve guessed that Grace was new to acting unless they personally googled her. He thought that maybe talent like that was genetic since she was the granddaughter of a Hollywood legend and it wasn’t an uncommon ideal. Just look at Kirk Douglas and Michael Douglas, Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson, or even Stellan Skarsgaard and Alexander Skarsgaard. 

It was a little embarrassing to admit, as a grown man, that he had watched “Cinderella” by himself. He told himself that it was just convenient since his soon to be costar along with a “Game of Thrones” alumni both starred in it. That was an excuse he seemed to use all too often but he couldn’t possibly find an excuse to explain why he had enjoyed it so much. It was probably the film where Grace looked the most like her namesake but Pedro couldn’t be sure. He watched a couple of Grace Kelly films when he was in his twenties in the midst of a phase where he had to watch all of the old Hollywood films. To be honest he only watched the Alfred Hitchcock films she did. 

There was something about the way the light shone over Grace in “Cinderella” that made her look identical to Grace Kelly in “Rear Window”. It became clear to Pedro that Grace Gallagher had something different about her than any other actress today when it came to screen presence. She was the classic kind of beauty that took your breath away in almost every film she did. Yes, she looked just like her grandmother but there was more to the actress than just that. Films like “Ruby Sparks”, “The Descendant”, and even “Gangster Squad” proved that she was much more than a Grace Kelly look alike. 

“Have you ever had a bodyguard?” Grace inquired curiously, bringing Pedro out of his musings. He only smiled kindly at her before shaking his head in response.

“No, I don’t think I’m that important.” He said jokingly and Grace laughed. 

“I’m sure you are. Truth be told it’s a little weird having someone watch your every move but none of it was as bad as when I was filming Harry Potter. I used to have body guards following me around all the time when I went to school. It was so embarrassing. I think it’s more preferable to just not have any whatsoever.” Pedro chuckled as he imagined a teenaged Grace, books tucked under her arm, as she made her way through the hallways of school whilst two burly, grown men followed behind her. It was an amusing sight to picture in your head. Some of it may have been a little sad since Grace must have been so young at the time. It didn’t seem like the most normal of childhoods but then again Grace was the daughter of a princess so how normal of a childhood could hers have been?

“Wouldn’t that be cool instead? Kind of like you’re the president’s daughter… I’m sorry… The King’s daughter.” Grace’s smile wasn’t the least bit forced as she bit the inside of her cheek to stop from laughing. 

“You would think so but it’s actually quite the opposite.” Pedro wasn’t a stranger to British accents, he was very good friends with Lena Headey, but Grace’s accent was a lot different… Almost a posh sort of accent actually. It was the same accent she had in “Cinderella” which was kind of fitting since Grace played a Disney princess in that film. Her accent somehow put him at ease, giving him a peace of mind despite only knowing her for a couple of hours. Pedro drank his shot of whisky without missing a beat and Grace could only watch him curiously. She was never one for drinking hard liquor, more interested in wine than anything else. Grace had even winced a little when she drank her rum and coke which also burned the inside of her throat just a bit. 

They spent the rest of the evening talking about everything except the upcoming film. It seemed that the meeting at the restaurant took care of the professional side of their relationship while the bar seemed to be the point of getting to know each other. They talked about where they were originally from, Grace was extremely interested in his time in Texas since she had never been and Pedro was interested in London which he had been to numerous times but hadn’t had much time to explore. It was quite the sight to behold, Grace’s eyes filled with both excitement and sadness as she described her favorite places in London to him. She seemed very keen on a place called Covenant Garden but he could tell that she missed home a lot. 

The pair also talked about projects that they had recently worked on. For Grace it hadn’t been a lot but she had been a bit preoccupied with personal matters so it made sense. She just told Pedro that she was too busy with the move to New York that she hadn’t been able to film anything since she filmed “La La Land” nearly a year earlier. Pedro, as it turned out, was incredibly busy the past several months with filming a couple of block buster of films along with the second season of “Narcos”. They both expressed their excitement for each other’s upcoming projects. Grace for the second season of “Narcos” and Pedro for “La La Land”. He turned out to be quite a fan of Grace and Ryan Gosling’s somewhat popular onscreen chemistry.

If Grace was being completely honest then she had to say that she had a very good feeling about working with Pedro. They had only known each other for a couple of hours yet they were already getting along wonderfully despite such a large age gap. She had worried about the age difference before, concerned that such an older and more experienced actor would look down his nose at her… It certainly wouldn’t be the first time. Thankfully Grace was proved wrong as she spent the evening laughing and talking with the older actor. She had always gotten along well enough with male leads in the past but Ryan had been the only person she kept in contact with. It had always been incredibly easy talking to him, even when she had only known him for a few hours, but she was starting to get that same feeling with Pedro. It was too soon to know for sure but Grace hoped that she could get along with Pedro as she did with Ryan. 

Time flew by as they spent the night in each other’s company within the quiet, cozy bar. It wasn’t long before it was nearly one in the morning much to Grace’s amazement. She never stayed out that late, not even with friends, but for the first time ever she didn’t feel any shame or panic as she usually did. Pedro didn’t seem the least bit concerned but Grace was almost certain that staying out this late was a usual occurrence for him. She was a couple of rum and cokes in so she knew she was more than a little bit tipsy. Grace had just declared it time to head home so Pedro kindly paid the bill, much to Grace’s displeasure, and she tried to get down form the bar stool only to lose her balance and almost fall to the floor if it hadn’t been for Pedro. He had caught her quite easily, his hands place on either side of her as he steadied her. She was thankful for the dim lighting of the bar which hid the vibrant blush from her cheeks. Pedro stared at her intently with an amused smirk on his face as he steadied her and Grace immediately shifted her gaze to an empty beer bottle on the countertop.

“Thank you.” She told him politely. The warmth seemed to fade from her as he removed his hands from her arms. Pedro only nodded as she focused on not falling over, she knew drinking only ever caused her more harm than good but it was fun while it lasted. It definitely allowed her to open up more than she normally would have. Former costars had called her cold and aloof but it was only really her shyness that gave them that impression. 

“Do you need a ride back to your apartment or something?” Pedro inquired as they left the bar. Grace observed the vibrant, loud New York street still amazed by the amount of people littering the outside nightlife. 

“I have an Uber coming that should be here in a few minutes.” Grace told him, waving her iPhone in her hand for emphasis and Pedro gave her a surprised look. 

“You use Uber?” He questioned and Grace raised a brow.

“Well, yes. Having a car in this city doesn’t seem very practical.” 

“I just never imagined Grace Gallagher taking an Uber. I was thinking more of a horse drawn carriage if I’m being honest.” Grace only gave him an amused smile as they walked alongside each other across the busy, city street. 

“It’s very convenient.” She told him simply. “And how does Pedro Pascal get home from a late night in the city?”

“It’s actually only a ten minute walk.” He told her, fully aware that she was teasing him. “If it’s anything further then I call a cab like any good New Yorker. I have lived in the city for about twenty years now.” He paused briefly. “You know… Uber hadn’t always been around.” While Pedro was kidding, he was also reminding himself of just how young Grace was. It had been so easy to forget spending the past few hours with her because Grace seemed very classy and intelligent. Her questions were always genuinely curious and her answers were thoughtfully given. 

“I’m fully aware of that but you have to admit that Uber is extremely dependable. It’s there when you need it unlike a lot of people.” Pedro laughed at the way her eyebrows scrunched up in annoyance as she uttered the last sentence. He could tell that she was a little tipsy given her once shy demeanor was seemingly gone and was replaced with a slightly more bold one. 

“Easy there, Gallagher, if I didn’t know any better I’d say that you’re unbelievably drunk.” She glared at him.

“It’s called being sloshed where I’m from, Pascal.” Pedro smiled because he knew in that moment that he was seeing a different side of Grace Gallagher. She was looking less like the elegant movie star she was portrayed as in the media and Pedro was loving every minute of it. It was in that moment that a car pulled up alongside where they were standing and a notification alert rang on Grace’s phone, alerting her that her Uber driver had arrived. The Uber driver quickly hopped out the car to open the back door for Grace. Pedro eyed the young man suspiciously before looking back to Grace.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay? You don’t want me to ride with you back to your apartment? I mean for safety reasons. I didn’t mean that I would go up or anything…” Pedro said worriedly, not knowing what he was saying as the offer seemed to fall out of his mouth. Grace only looked at him with an amused smile.

“It’s okay, I know what you meant. But to answer your question… I’ll be fine, no need to worry.” Grace told him reassuringly although she was also very touched by his concern. It was very sweet of him to worry especially since he hadn’t known her for long. She decided that Pedro was an extremely nice person and filming was going to be easy. 

“I may be from England but I grew up in London and am very much a city girl. I can more than take care of myself.” Grace added. Pedro nodded, feeling slightly ridiculous for worrying like that. She was probably annoyed that he thought she was a child or something and he couldn’t blame her. Grace was a grown woman for Christ’s sake.

“Right, well, maybe you should have my number just in case.” Pedro suggested and faltered slightly when he saw Grace’s puzzled look. “For safety reasons of course.” He added hastily and Grace nodded slowly in agreement, taking her phone out of her pocket.

“Just for safety reasons… Maybe work related reasons too since we’re scheduled to start filming in a week.” She unlocked the screen of her iPhone and brought up her contacts, opening up the new contact page. Grace then handed the phone over to Pedro who quickly entered his phone number into her phone before exiting the app. He glanced at her wallpaper momentarily which showed a very fierce looking German Shepard sleeping on the edge of a bed. Pedro removed his gaze from the picture, handing the phone back to Grace who pocketed it inside her purse.

“Cute dog.” Grace gave him a confused look.

“What?” 

“Sorry… I just caught a glimpse of your wallpaper.” Pedro said and she immediately knew what he meant. Grace smiled shyly, her blue eyes lighting up with something akin to excitement. It was obvious that Grace was extremely fond of her dog. 

“His name’s Ash. He’s a little worse for wear but he’s doing fine.” Grace told him and Pedro nodded. She glanced back at the Uber driver who seemed to be getting a little impatient so Grace thought it was time to finally bid her goodbyes to her new friend. “Speaking of Ash… I should actually be getting back to him.”

“Of course.” Grace started walking towards the car but Pedro’s voice briefly stopped her. “Could you maybe text me when you get back to your apartment?” Grace paused, raising an eyebrow questioningly. “I mean… For-“

“Safety reasons?” Grace interrupted, amused and touched by his concern. Pedro laughed before nodding in agreement.

“Yes, for safety reasons.” Pedro told himself that he was so concerned for her because she had earlier mentioned that most of her friends didn’t live in New York and instead lived in London and LA. Deep down he wasn’t so sure that was really the reason why.

“Yeah, I’ll text you.” She told him as she seated herself in the backseat of the car. Pedro nodded at the Uber driver, telling him that he had this. The driver quickly made his way to the front of the car as well as the driver’s side. “I guess I’ll see you in a few days.” 

“Yeah, see you then. Have a safe drive, Miss Gallagher, hopefully this car won’t turn into a pumpkin on your way home.” Grace laughed at his “Cinderella” joke. She honestly could say that she had never heard that one before. 

“Very funny.” She told him before becoming serious and smiling at the older man kindly. “Goodnight, Mr. Pascal.” He smiled in reply.

“Goodnight.” He said before gently shutting the car door. The Uber driver didn’t waste any time taking off so with that Pedro became a small figure in the driver’s review mirror. For the first time in several hours Grace was left alone with her thoughts but for the first time in months she didn’t think it was a bad thing. Pedro certainly defied all expectations that she had of him but it was a delightful surprise as supposed to a disappointing one. She soon found herself looking forward to going to LA and if Grace was being truthful it wasn’t just for the work.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace feels an overwhelming guilt for avoiding her friends but convinces herself it's for the best. She thinks back to her very publicized friendship with Taylor Swift and what kind of person it turned her into.

Grace groaned uncomfortably as she felt the sunlight hitting her face and a pounding sensation inside her head. For the first time since she was eighteen she had a hangover, Grace quickly remembered why she didn’t drink in public. The famous actress pulled the covers over her face as she tried to block out the sunlight. Last night’s events slowly started coming back to her as she became more aware of her surroundings. For a brief moment she even thought that she would see the familiar lavender walls of her grandparent’s cottage in Bath. That’s how much she apparently drank the previous night and part of her was even a bit sad to realize that she was actually in New York. Grace slowly recollected the night of talk and laughter she and Pedro shared. From what she could remember Grace didn’t say anything regrettable or at least to her knowledge. She may have acted a bit more bold than usual but that was about it when it came to her night with Pedro. Grace remembered getting back to the apartment well into the morning, taking off her shoes, and texting Pedro like he asked. The rest was all a blur but somehow she must have made it to bed. Grace knew that she hadn’t been completely sloshed but she was definitely more tipsy than usual. 

She felt Ash shift in his sleep from the right side of the bed which was his side as it came to be. The German Shepard hadn’t wasted anytime with making himself very comfortable in Grace’s apartment after she adopted him. He had been shy during the first few hours but after she fed him and gave him a toy, Grace had officially won him over. She snuck a peek from under the covers at Ash who only blinked at her probably wondering what she was doing in bed at eleven in the morning. Grace sighed tiredly before pulling the covers off. Ash quickly hopped off of the bed more than ready to start the day after impatiently waiting hours for Grace.  
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. I’m being very lazy today but if you went to a bar with Pedro Pascal, you would probably understand.” Ash only cocked his head to the side curiously and Grace rolled her eyes, getting up from the bed. 

“Right, sometimes I forget that you can’t talk back to me.” She paused for a moment as she pulled off her dress that she was still wearing from last night. “Do you think it’s weird that sometimes in my head you talk back to me?” Ash gave her the same look as before and she nodded.

“You’re right… I should probably go see a doctor about that or something.” Grace joked to herself. Truthfully, she was probably only half kidding when she said that. The blonde had spent the past month talking to no one except Ash and her agent. It was a wonder how she didn’t ask Pedro if he wanted to take a walk. Grace grabbed a pair of sweatpants, shirt, and underwear as she made her way to the shower. A nice warm shower was just what she needed after the night she had. Ash loyally followed her into the bathroom, laying down on the bathmat as she proceeded to get into the shower. 

After her long, hot shower Grace moved into the living room, grabbing a bottle of water from the kitchen on her way in. The young actress decidedly settled down on the couch before turning on the tv and flipping the channel to the HGTV channel. She carelessly tossed the remote to the other end of the couch before Ash curled up beside her. Grace wasn’t really watching tv to be honest, it was supposed to serve more as background noise as she turned her attention to her phone. She did the usual routine as she did every day for the past months. Checking her newsfeed to see what was going on in the world before checking her email to see if her inbox contained any new messages. There really wasn’t much going on in the world aside from politics and her inbox only contained messages that had her filming schedule for the new film. Her text messages were the same as always, littered with dozens of texts from the friends that she had continuously avoided for the past few months. Condolences over her untimely divorce seemed to be a regular occurrence but Grace couldn’t bare to respond or even read the messages. It only made her uncomfortable from the obvious amount of pity contained in those messages. 

The only messages she ever responded to were those she was professionally involved with or family of course. Her little sister Bethany texted her all the time and Grace always responded as fast as she could. Her older brother Alex always called her on Sundays, telling her about work or something funny her nephew did. Grace’s father called her at random times during the week which was probably just whenever he was available. He never talked about the divorce, which was nice, and instead discussed how he was living life now that all of his kids were out of the house. She was always thankful that he never talked about Tom, it was like they had a silent understanding. Maybe that was why her grandmother Katherine was always telling Grace how alike she and her father were.

For the first two months of the separation from her husband, Grace received a few missed calls from one of her best friends. Grace had become great friends with Emma Watson since starring together in the Harry Potter franchise. Emma had taken Grace under her wing, helping her with rehearsing lines, press, and dealing with the spotlight. Emma had been friends with Grace since before Grace received all the notoriety and Grace had never really cared about any of Emma’s fame in return. She counted the famous actress as one of her closest friends but something changed following the separation from Tom and word of his affair with another one of her closest friends. Grace grew distrustful of many of her friends who she shared highly publicized friendships with. Not completely sure who and who wasn’t her real friend. So she cut off all contact with everyone from that world. 

Grace didn’t need to be told that it was a very paranoid and selfish thing to do because she already knew that. Emma had been unbelievably kind to her during their time together and it was wrong to be so distrustful of her but Grace couldn’t help it. The affair had brought out all the insecurities that Grace had always tried to keep under wraps. The amount of missed calls from Emma went from several a day to one a week which was a drastic change. Sure her other friends worried about her immensely but they gave up on her quite soon, only texting her that they wished her best. Emma was the only one that hadn’t given up on her and it filled Grace up with guilt.   
The young actress soon glanced past the missed calls from her best friend and moved on to see if she had any other messages or missed calls. There were some messages from Ryan as well as one of Tom’s friends but that was about it. Grace was about to lock the screen when she spotted a name that she intentionally avoided seeing for the past few months which was nearly impossible given who it was. The very same person who brought out all her insecurities and made her distrustful of the ones she used to call friends. 

Taylor. 

 

The story of Grace and Taylor was quite a funny one especially to fans and the media. The two young celebrities seemed to make the perfect friends. Alike in their demeanor and style so it was no wonder that they connected so well when they worked on ‘Valentine’s Day’ together. It was Grace’s first big budget American film that starred a ton of very famous actors and actresses. Grace might have fangirled just a little when she learned that she would be sharing a scene with the legendary Shirley MacLaine. Taylor had been the same age as Grace so they got along wonderfully during the production. Much like Emma had been a sort of mentor to her, Grace soon became the same thing to Taylor since it was the singer’s first time filming a movie.

Grace had been in her dressing room, getting ready to shoot the big scene with Shirley MacLaine when she heard a knock on her door. The actress was dressed in her outfit for the scene along with her hair and makeup done but it wasn’t as if her character’s clothing was anything exceptional like Luna Lovegood’s clothing. Grace turned her attention to the door as she glanced away from the boring, normal clothing of her character who also happened to be named Grace. 

“Come in!” She called out, not wanting to bother to get out her chair and open the door herself. The door subsequently opened and Grace saw the last person she expected to see in the doorway. Taylor Swift. The American singer was very popular, even in England, so Grace was having a bit of a star struck moment in meeting her. The singer was very tall just as she had looked in all her public appearances and music videos. Her curly, blonde hair went past the mid of her back and seemed just as wild but beautiful as it had been portrayed in her iconic hair flipping performances. Her features were very sharp but somehow it made her look more like a tall fairy than anything else. Given her tall height, the young woman was also very slender in her frame. Grace was taken back by the very kind looking singer even though she knew that Taylor Swift had been casted in the film. 

“You’re Grace, right?” Taylor asked even though she knew very well who the blonde sitting in the chair was. Grace nodded, a bit lost for words. 

“Yes and you’re Taylor?” Taylor laughed before nodding. “Can I come in?” Grace nodded and the tall singer came into the room, closing the door behind her in the process. It was then that Grace noticed the tuber ware container in the blonde’s hands.

“I’m glad that I finally get to meet you. I can’t tell you how much of a fan I am of yours… Especially of your role as Luna although I’m sure you get that a lot.” Taylor paused in the midst of her rambling as if she forgot something. She then handed the container to Grace who hadn’t been able to get a word in but wasn’t annoyed in the least bit. “Oh, this for you by the way.”

“Thank you.” Grace said before she opened the lid curiously and peeked inside. She noticed an abundance of delicious looking cookies that were in the shape of various odd animals and frosted with a light pink frosting as well as covered in rainbow sprinkles. Grace’s mouth watered at the intoxicating smell of the sugary treats. “Is this homemade by chance?” Grace questioned curiously and Taylor smiled before nodding.

“Yes, I love baking. I actually spend a lot of free time on tour baking cookies and cakes… Things like that although I think I always make way too much to give away.” Grace’s ears perked up at that.

“I love baking too.” Taylor gave her a curious look. 

“Really?” Grace smiled and nodded. 

“Yes, I mostly just bake cupcakes and cake pops but it’s the easiest way to past time. These smell so good by the way.” Grace complimented. “I have to admit that I’m a pretty big fan of yours as well. I loved your last album ‘Fearless’. You don’t know how much I wanted to go to a Taylor Swift concert, my friends know a little too well. These past couple of months have been pretty busy for me so I haven’t had the chance to attend a concert yet.”

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you’re a fan of mine! I’m a huge fan of yours!” In that moment the two accomplished young women sounded like the very teenagers that they were. Despite being from two entirely different countries it was clear that they could easily relate to one and other. “Please tell me it was a Harry Potter movie you were filming. I’m excited for the one coming out this summer, I think my parents are really tired of hearing me going on about it.” Grace laughed. 

“Yeah… It’s been a bit hectic with all the films coming out. We wrapped filming ‘The Half Blood Prince’ a few months ago and I’m scheduled to start filming the next one in another few months. Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but I live out of a suitcase a lot these days.” Taylor nodded, completely understanding what her fellow blonde was saying.

“No, I get it. Going on the world tour and all is very exciting but it’s also exhausting at the same time.” 

“It was must be interesting though… I mean getting to travel all over the world, visiting different countries. The only new place I’ve ever traveled to was LA but aside from that I haven’t really been anywhere aside from Monaco and France.” It was then that Taylor recalled that Grace was technically a royal given that she was the late Princess Audrey’s daughter. Taylor went through a phase in middle school when she researched royal families. It was very extraordinary how a member of the Monaco royal family and granddaughter of Grace Kelly was picked randomly from a group of 15,000 people to star in a Harry Potter film. What were the chances? 

Taylor was quite a big fan of Grace’s grandmother as well and who wouldn’t be? Old Hollywood actresses like Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn served as some of the singer’s favorite fashion icons. Standing up close to the British actress, Taylor could definitely say that the resemblance between Grace Kelly and Grace Gallagher was uncanny. They still did look different in their appearances but their faces were just about identical. Grace looked to be the modernized version of the late princess and actress with her hair down and straightened. Grace’s make-up was also worn with much thicker eyeliner and mascara than the Hollywood screen legend had ever been seen wearing but this was a different time than fifty years ago. 

“You would think so but usually I tend to pick sleeping over going out and sightseeing.” Grace nodded, getting the point that Taylor was making. After performing a three hour concert it was probably difficult to want to go out and explore rather than getting some rest.

“That makes sense I suppose.” Grace decided to change the subject and focus the conversation on the movie they were about to start filming. “Are you excited to start filming your scenes?” Taylor shrugged as she leaned against the vanity.

“I am but at the same time I’m really nervous.” Grace raised a brow. That was a bit odd to her since the young singer performed in front of thousands of people almost every night during a tour but for some reason she was nervous about filming a scene.

“Whatever for? You sing your heart out in front of thousands of people. I can’t imagine ever acting in front of an audience that size.” 

“That’s different. I’m extremely comfortable with performing in front of people because… It’s just very natural to me. This is something else entirely. I mean… I’ve only done a couple of school plays when I was little but now I’m going be in this huge movie with all these big named actors? I have this scene with Jennifer Garner for god’s sake! Jennifer Garner as in ‘13 Going on 30’ Jennifer Garner. Not to mention I have a scene with you.” That resonated with well with Grace because she could relate to Taylor on some level. It was probably the same thing she said to Emma Watson when they first started filming ‘The Order of the Phoenix’. Grace felt like she was beneath all the other actors who had been acting for years and that she was only there on pure chance. Emma graciously took her under her wing and helped her through the acting process as well as putting away any fears or doubts she may have had about herself. Grace never thought that she would be the one that someone would look up to in that way but she knew that she needed to do the same thing with Taylor that Emma did with her a few years prior. It was Grace’s turn now.

“Listen… I’ve only been acting for three years… At least professionally. Like you, I did some school plays when I was younger but that was it. I don’t think I ever really approached the audition for ‘Order of the Phoenix’ because I wanted to be an actor. I wanted to audition for the film because I wanted to be Luna Lovegood and I loved Harry Potter.” She paused, smiling as she thought about that first audition, and Taylor listened to her, hanging onto every word. “It all happened so fast and suddenly I was in this major production of this huge movie and I absolutely could not mess any of it up because I was playing a Harry Potter character that had a growing fan base. It wasn’t like I was the youngest person there either because I wasn’t but everyone else had been acting for years and then there was me who only played a couple small parts in school plays.” Taylor’s blue eyes were wide and curious as she listened to the other blonde’s recollection of first filming Harry Potter. 

“What did you do?” Grace only laughed.

“I freaked out of course, panicking a lot because somehow I got this weird fear that everyone else was going to look down on me because I kind of just walked into this world without any training. Then one of my favorite actresses walked into my dressing room and asked me why I was avoiding everyone.” Taylor had a feeling that she knew who she was talking about. “And because it was Emma Watson I blurted out everything and to my surprise she was completely understanding. She offered to help me rehearse the scenes and turned out to be very supportive. She actually did this really funny thing which turned out to be extremely helpful to me.”

“What happened?” Taylor asked curiously. Grace smiled because the subject itself didn’t seem significant but it turned out to be one of the most helpful things that anyone had ever done for her.

“She told me this story she read about David Tennant who, if you didn’t know, stars in ‘Doctor Who’ and played Barty Crouch Jr. in the ‘Goblet of Fire’.” Taylor nodded once she recalled the actor’s face from the Harry Potter film. “Apparently David Tennant wanted to be an actor because he wanted to be Doctor Who. He might not be very popular in the states but he’s truly this brilliant actor who can play anything. He’s a terrific stage actor and just has this amazing, charismatic presence on screen.”

“He’s like you.” Taylor commented and Grace shrugged.

“David Tennant is a much better actor than me but he was inspired by a character just as I was. It didn’t mean he was any less passionate about acting because of what he was inspired by. I may not have been inspired by Shakespeare or Marlon Brando but if it wasn’t for me being inspired by Luna then I would’ve never had the guts to go and put myself out there.” Grace smiled warmly as she recollected the past three years she spent working on different films. “It turns out that I actually really love acting and with every audition and role, I’ve really improved.”

“Taylor, my point is that acting might not have been your first ambition but you’re still here… Still willing to put yourself out there and that counts for something. You’re obviously passionate enough about it if you’re willing to give it a go.” Grace told the singer and Taylor had to admire the actress who was the same age as her but wise beyond her years. “I’m going to help you like Emma helped me because I remember what it was like back then. If I hadn’t had someone to help me then I would’ve been extremely lost. Anything you need please ask. We can even rehearse lines together if you want.” Taylor couldn’t believe the kindness that Grace Gallagher had bestowed upon her. It wasn’t like anything she would’ve expected. She walked into the actress’s dressing room just hoping to meet Grace Gallagher and now had found a new friend.

“You would do that for me?” Grace nodded with a kind look on her face.

“Of course. I’m about to shoot my scene with Shirley MacLaine but maybe we could rehearse later on.” Taylor grinned, nodding anxiously.

“That would be a lot of help. Since the whole cast is staying at the same hotel we could just hang out in my room. Maybe even make a girl’s night out of it and order room service.” Taylor replied. Grace was happy because it looked like she had made a new friend. She was all alone out there in LA with all her friends and boyfriend living in London. LA was different territory for her and she had felt incredibly alone out there. It was a weird concept for the British actress… Her first American friend who also happened to be big name in music. 

“Does 5:30 sound good?” Grace asked and the blonde singer nodded.

“Yeah, it’ll be fun.” And with that it was settled. Grace and Taylor would become the close knit pair of friends on set that struck the other actors with both amusement and annoyance as the two also became the known pranksters behind the scenes of the film. The two spent the rest of their time together talking about clothes, music, and boys… The usual stuff teenagers talked about. Taylor talked about a crush she had on her new costar Taylor Lautner and Grace gushed about her boyfriend James Phelps who she had met on the set of Harry Potter. To most of the world Taylor was Taylor Swift, the international country/pop star, and Grace was Grace Gallagher, Monaco and Hollywood royalty, but in reality they were two women who were barely adults caught up in a world of cameras and glamour. It was the start of a highly publicized friendship that attracted the attention of fans and that had subsequently started the infamous “Squad”. 

 

 

For the longest time the Gallagher and Swift friendship set friendship goals all around the world. Grace would be lying if she said that she didn’t enjoy the attention their friendship brought. She liked being the inspiration for female friendships everywhere, it fed her ego enormously. The two had even done a photo shoot for Vogue together that gathered a lot of public attention. It wasn’t as if Grace was only in it for the publicity, the same went for Taylor, because they genuinely shared a connection. Their fashion style was about the same, baking was their hobby, and ‘Friends’ was their favorite tv show of all time. The two blonde bombshells were good for each other for a lot of different reasons. Taylor introduced her to a bunch of popular American television shows that Grace wasn’t familiar with like Law and Order, CSI, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Grace introduced her to Doctor Who, Colin Firth’s Pride and Prejudice, and even the series that Grace worked on which was Skins. 

Taylor and Grace became role models for young girls in their polite and modest demeanors. They didn’t dress in skin tight clothing with plunging necklines like a lot of young women their age. The duo opted for vintage looking dresses with flowery patterns paired with cute pairs of flats. Their fashion icons included the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Zooey Deschanel, and even Grace Kelly. Grace and Taylor were presented as inspiring female role models who had both talent and class. They never smoked, drank, or even went clubbing as most young celebrities did. The pair was dubbed as the “Hollywood’s Good Girls” and the both of them didn’t even mind that title.

The one person who wasn’t completely sold on the Grace and Taylor friendship was Grace’s best friend Emma. While Emma liked Taylor well enough, she wasn’t a fan of the media circus that seemed to follow the American singer everywhere. The Harry Potter actress was an extremely private person that didn’t care for being a target of the media. Emma also thought that the two friends were only encouraging the media by taking all their little vacations everywhere and encouraging the media didn’t seem like a very good idea to her. What Grace and Taylor found cute and harmless, Emma saw as reckless and ridiculous. Grace would occasionally travel with Taylor during the singer’s world tour and Taylor would occasionally spend time with Grace on which ever film set she was working on. This annoyed Emma so much that the brunette once even brought up the issue to Grace.

“Do you think it’s wise…What you’re doing I mean?” Emma asked Grace one day. The two were at their favorite bookstore in central London. Emma was searching for a specific edition of a F. Scott Fitzgerald novel and Grace was doing the same for a Charlotte Bronte novel.

“What do you mean?” Emma gave her a ‘are you serious’ look as she stared back at the blonde. 

“I mean this whole thing with Taylor. The whole bloody thing is always in the news, Grace. You never go a day without hearing about the both of you.” Grace furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

“I thought you liked Taylor?” Emma sighed.

“I do like Taylor but I just don’t think it’s very smart of you guys to always be so public about your friendship.” Grace rolled her eyes as she returned her attention to scanning the bookshelves for the book she was looking for. 

“We’re not doing anything wrong, Emma, it’s not our fault that the media is always there. We’re just going about our usual business.” Emma scoffed.

“You travel with her on tour and she goes to set with you. Grace, you have to admit that’s a little weird.” Grace shrugged.

“It’s really not that complicated, Em, I had never been to a concert of hers so I just went to a few of them whilst she was in Asia. I had never been to Asia at the time so it was just supposed to be a fun experience together. She also really wanted to see the Harry Potter films being made. Taylor’s almost as big of a fan as I am… Almost.” Grace explained to her friend but Emma wasn’t buying any of it. The brunette crossed her arms and gave Grace a serious look to which Grace pointedly ignored.

“You broke up with Alex because of her.” Grace sighed and turned around to face her friend.

“I did not break up with Alex because of her. He smoked a lot, of weed might I add, partied all the time with his friends, and while him constantly putting down Taylor along with her artistry all the time may have been a contributing factor-“

“You dumped him because of Taylor! Just admit it already!” Emma whispered harshly, trying to keep their voices down in case someone was listening in on the two famous actresses. 

“I can’t be with someone who hates my friends, Emma!” Grace whispered just as harshly. Her cerulean blue eyes were narrowed as she stared back at Emma.

“You’re obsessed… Just admit it.” Grace shook her head in disbelief.

“Are you trying to accuse me of having lesbian feelings for her?” Emma sighed heavily.

“Of course not… I don’t mean you have a romantic or sexual obsession with her but you do have an obsession with the attention that comes with her.” Grace glared at her former costar with an accusatory look in her eyes. 

“Are you calling me an attention whore?” Emma searched Grace’s eyes for some common sense or sudden realization but found nothing but annoyance and hurt.

“You said it, not me.” Grace huffed angrily as she started storming off. She couldn’t believe Emma even said that about her. It was an incredibly low thing to say and Emma was usually above those kinds of things. 

“Piss off, Watson.” The English actress had a foot out the door when she heard Emma call after her.

“It’s not healthy, Grace!” Grace ignored the sound of concern in her friend’s voice and left the bookshop without another word. She was furious that Emma would even accuse her of something like that as if she were a person to bask in the spotlight. Grace continuously told herself that Emma was wrong about her and Taylor… That Emma was just jealous that she was spending so much time with the American popstar but deep down a part of Grace knew that Emma was right. 

The two didn’t speak for a couple of weeks. They were both the stubborn sort of young women who didn’t want to be the first one to cave. It wasn’t until Emma decided that she may have been a little hard on her friend so she put those differences aside and started making amends. The brunette showed up on the blonde’s doorstep at around ten in the evening with a tub of ice cream and a dvd copy of ‘Bridget Jones Diary’ in hand. They subsequently made up, deciding to never speak of the conversation in the bookstore ever again although the circumstance was on both of their minds. Emma never brought up the topic again but Grace knew that she still disproved of Taylor. 

If only Grace had listened better.

 

 

Grace snapped out of her memories bringing herself back to the present and she was no longer trapped in the memory of a heated argument in a bookstore. It was probably part of the reason she couldn’t bare speaking to Emma. She didn’t want to admit that Emma, who had warned her countless times, was right and Grace had been wrong all along. Grace had already been through hell and back so seeing the ‘I told you so’ look on Emma’s face wasn’t going to make her feel any better. She missed her best friend immensely but her pride kept her from even considering texting Emma back. Grace also didn’t know who to trust anymore as terrible as that sounded. People who you thought were your friends may not have been friends at all.

Grace’s eyes glanced over the name of her ex best friend and she sighed heavily before looking through Taylor’s messages. She already knew that she was going to regret looking through all the text messages the singer had sent her over the past couple of months. There were a few missed calls but there weren’t nearly as many the ones Emma left behind for her. Her eyes brimmed with a few unshed tears for a moment as she read through the texts. Grace told herself not to be such a drama queen but she couldn’t help it because all she could think about was the person she thought was her friend.

(June 15th, 11:37 a.m.) Taylor: I know you probably saw the pictures by now but just let me explain.

(June 15th, 2:45 p.m.) Taylor: Grace, it’s not what you think. 

(June 15th, 9:03 p.m.) Taylor: I’m so sorry.

(June 18th, 1: 31 p.m.) Taylor: We need to talk.

(June 19th, 10: 56 a.m.) Taylor: I’m sorry about today. It’s been hard on Tom so I imagine that it’s been hard for you too. I know you think that the Tom asked for the divorce because of me but he didn’t. If you want you can call me and scream anything you want into my ear. I get it. 

(June 27th, 7:15 p.m.) Taylor: Please call me! We have to talk!

(July 1st, 11:23 a.m.) Taylor: I know I really messed things up but I would like for us talk things out.

(July 2nd, 12:07 a.m.) Taylor: You should come over to Rhode Island for the party on the fourth. Tom will be there but maybe we should all talk face to face. You’re more than welcome and all our friends miss you. Cara, Ed, and Selena said that you haven’t been responding to them either… They’re worried about you. We all are.

(July 5th, 2:30 a.m.) Taylor: You didn’t come over but I guess I understand. 

(July 7th, 1:17 a.m.) Taylor: I stopped by your dad’s townhouse today. Bethany slammed the door in my face and told me to get lost. 

(July 7th, 11:57 a.m.) Taylor: I heard through the grapevine that you were staying at your grandparent’s house in Bath. Went there but no one was home. Where are you, Grace? Please let me talk to you.

(July 9th, 1:12 p.m.) Taylor: Called Emma today and I’ve never heard her say that many curse words in the time that I’ve known her for. She told me you moved away and not to bother trying to find you. It also sounded like she hadn’t spoken to you in a while either. You’re really starting to scare me, Grace.

(July 12th, 12:40 a.m.) Taylor: I saw that you moved to New York. Maybe we could meet up some time to talk. I know this amazing coffee shop that you would love. 

(July 17th, 12:36 p.m.) Taylor: I never meant to hurt you. These feelings for Tom… I never wanted them. Please know that. We never went behind your back or anything. It just happened one night and you guys were already separated then there was the thing with Adam. Please forgive me, Grace.

(July 21st, 3:17 a.m.) Taylor: Please say something… Anything. I don’t care if you tell me you hate me but just respond. 

(July 25th, 12:58 a.m.) Taylor: I get the message, Grace. I’ll stop texting and calling you. Just please don’t shut everyone out for our sake. Take care.

 

By the time Grace finished reading the text messages her face was red and blotchy from all the sobbing she was doing. It actually turned out to be a worse idea then she originally thought. Her heart was utterly broken and it really wasn’t just about the affair. It was much more than that but Taylor didn’t seem to understand that. It was betrayal and that definitely wasn’t something that Grace thought she could forgive anytime soon. Fury filled her from Taylor’s messages as well because it was just so like the blonde pop star to pretend that everything was okay. It became obvious that no one ever got mad at Taylor Swift so the blonde was not used to having to deal with anger. 

Grace felt like punching a wall or screaming into a pillow but she didn’t. The blonde just grabbed the box of tissues from the side table next to the couch. She sniffled as she wiped the tears from her face and tried to control her anger and sadness. It wasn’t like Grace to cry like that at least not loudly, she usually just cried silently as tears quietly streamed down her face. It proved that this entire situation was just too much for her. As much as Grace wished she could’ve punched Taylor in the face, she also knew that there was no way that she was going to face the singer anytime soon. In fact, Grace didn’t want to see Taylor or Tom’s face ever again. If she did she knew she wouldn’t be able to control her feelings of betrayal.

Grace knew it was all bullshit coming from Taylor in the long run. Taylor wasn’t the least bit sorry because if she really did care about Grace the way that she said she did then Taylor would’ve never have gone after Tom. If Taylor had been a true friend she would’ve supported Grace as she went through a hard time during her life. In reality the singer did no such thing. It became obvious to Grace how little Taylor actually cared when she saw the two of them snuggled up together during Taylor’s annual fourth of July party. It was a little hard to believe that Grace and Tom had been at the very same party a year prior as newlyweds who were already falling apart. To Grace it didn’t matter if her and Tom were separated because they were still married. The separation wasn’t meant to last anyways because Grace had become confident that she and Tom would be able to fix things… That was until she saw pictures of her husband on a beach making out with her best friend only three weeks after Tom had filed for divorce. 

It became obvious that Tom was finished with her seeing as how he had immediately sought after her best friend. Grace got the message. After seeing the pictures surface the news, Grace knew that she had to let Tom go so she signed the papers. It had been a quick process but Grace just wanted to be finished with everything. She didn’t ask for any money and neither did he so the process hadn’t taken long. They were divorced a couple of days after she saw the pictures surface online. 

Grace tossed her phone to the side before rubbing her eyes tiredly. It probably wasn’t smart to get this upset during the midst of a hangover. It was silly of her to even continuously think about Tom and Taylor anyways. That was all in the past now and Grace had a new project to work on. Dwelling on stuff like that would only mess everything up and she really needed to focus on getting this new movie done. People were depending on her not to muck things up. If she let Tom and Taylor rule her thoughts then she was only going to screw up. They didn’t deserve her time anyways.

So without another thought given over the subject, Grace got up from her couch and headed to her bedroom. It was about time she started packing her bags for LA and she couldn’t afford to put it off any longer. Ash followed her as he always did and it gave Grace some comfort. The point of moving to New York was to forget her life back in London. It was hard to do but she needed to forgive and forget so that she could move on with her life. The forgetting part had been fairly easy so far… The forgiving part was the one that should be challenging.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The studio has Grace and Pedro flown out to LA on a private plane since they are the only two cast members living in New York.

The day had finally arrived when Grace was scheduled to fly out to Los Angeles to start production on the new movie. It made her apprehensive since she hadn’t filmed anything in almost a year ever since her marriage started falling apart. While the fear still remained very present in her mind, Grace was also excited to get back to work. It had been much too long and returning to acting was just what she needed right now. She should’ve filmed something within the past few months to keep herself distracted but between her mess of a marriage and Taylor… Well, her concentration hadn’t exactly been focused on much more than her sad life. 

Her week hadn’t been very eventful since her night out with Pedro so she had taken to packing and unpacking her bags. It was something that Grace tended to do only when she had too much time on her hands. She would start a day long debate on whether she thought she would need her sexiest pair of bra and panties or not, packing it into her suitcase before unpacking it again and then deciding it was better to be safe than sorry. Grace definitely wasn’t planning on meeting anyone in Los Angeles but she just liked to be prepared for every possible situation. Of course her dog always looked at her like she was a crazy person whilst she ran around her apartment looking for her green apple scented hand sanitizer. It was the first time she realized how crazy she really was since Tom was a lot like her in that way. He was always rushing around their old townhouse looking for his favorite pair of socks to add to his suitcase. Grace smiled at the memory because who had a favorite pair of socks? 

Only Tom. 

The moment of happiness soon vanished as she was brought back into the reality of her life. It was quite odd to be leaving her apartment after only living in it for a short amount of time. She had been pretty accustomed to living in the comfort of her own space but it seemed like the life of hotel rooms and cameras was calling back to her. Grace would be lying if she said that she hadn’t missed it all but it was time to stop acting like a hermit and get back out into the world. Lucky for her, Grace wouldn’t even have to face people at the airport or on the plane since the studios was flying her out to Los Angeles on a private plane. 

The only other person she would be seeing on that flight would be Pedro which wouldn’t be so bad considering how well they got along the other night. They hadn’t seen each other since but they had been texting each other every now and then over the past few days. Usually it was just stuff about scheduling and flight information but Grace hadn’t expected them to become best friends after one night out. Ryan was reluctant to call her his friend even after filming of ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ had ended and Grace counted him as one of her best friends in the business… Or at least she had until she pushed him away like everyone else. That was hardly the point she meant to make. Grace meant to say that even though she and Pedro were at an early stage in their professional relationship, she was sure that they would get along wonderfully once they were put to work and spent more time together. She could really use a new friend right about now anyways.

 

 

A driver had dropped Grace off right on schedule as he parked the car close to the private plane on the runway. It definitely wasn’t her first time flying on a private plane but she had to admit that it was not often that she got to fly on them. Usually it only happened when she was filming big budget films like Harry Potter or ‘Gangster Squad’. Other than that, it was just first class most of the time for her unless she was dating Leonardo DiCaprio which she wasn’t and probably never will. 

The driver took care of Grace’s luggage of hers which included about four months forth of the stuff that she also mysteriously managed to fit into just three medium sized designer suitcases and a large, matching bag that contained supplies for Ash. It seemed that the tough looking German Shepard would also be joining Grace on her trip to Los Angeles. The blonde actress had become so attached to her beloved companion that she didn’t think she could survive four months without him. She knew that she couldn’t possibly take him to Monaco with her when they left in three months but they had their time in Los Angeles before that would happen. Grace stepped out of the car as the flight attendants took care of her luggage, Ash followed behind her as he always did with a loyal streak in his stride. He wore no leash since it was just a short journey from the car to the plane but he didn’t need one anyways. It was rare that he stopped following Grace. 

“Do you need any help with your dog, Miss Gallagher?” One of the flight attendants asked helpfully but Grace just shook her head.

“No, I’m fine. Thank you.” She replied with a polite smile and curt nod. Grace then ascended the staircase up to the plane with a bit more eagerness in her stride because it was good to get out of the apartment for once. Her apprehensions started to fade away about returning to work and were replaced with nothing but excitement. What had she been so afraid of? 

The inside of the plane was nicer than she had expected but Paramount didn’t tend to disappoint. It was spacious but not overly spacious which always seemed to unnerve Grace especially if there weren’t going to be many people on the flight. There was a couch placed against one of the walls of the plane and then a couple of rows of seating that faced each other alongside the other wall. A tv hung on the wall towards the front of the plane just outside the cockpit and there was a set of bathrooms at the opposite end. It was a private plane so of course it was fancy but it wasn’t extravagant or over the top like a fourteen year old Grace used to imagine. Grace’s curiosity didn’t end with the luxuriousness of the plane but instead extended to a certain occupant who managed to arrive even before Grace.

Pedro.

He looked more casual today then he had looked when she first met him with a simple pair of dark washed jeans and gray short sleeved shirt. His dark hair was well kept as was the small amount of facial hair he had which was contained in a moustache and fair amount of scruff. Grace suddenly felt a little uneasy about being alone on a plane with him for hours on end since she forgot how incredibly handsome he was since she had last seen him. Now was not the time to be checking out her new costar… That was how it always started with her. She’d think her costar was cute, talk to Emma about him over the phone, and then proceed to follow him around on set like a total stalker. To be fair the last time Grace was interested in a costar was when Tom walked into her life and that was almost seven years ago. Her point was that it always started out cute and innocent but then it turned into disaster. 

The last thing Grace needed right now was to fall in love with another one of her costars. That may have seemed a little presumptuous of her seeing as how she just met Pedro but consider this… Three out of the four relationships she’s had in her lifetime have been with her costars. First there had been Aaron as in Aaron Taylor-Johnson who Grace had met on the set of ‘Angus, Thongs, and Snogging’. Their characters may not have been each other’s love interests but Grace had thought he was the cutest guy she had ever seen the moment she laid eyes on him. She had only been seventeen at the time and he wasn’t the first guy she dated but she definitely considered him her first real boyfriend. Then there was James, of course, who she had known before she knew Aaron.   
James who she had always had a crush on since meeting him on the set of ‘Order of the Phoenix’. He was cute in a funny and sweet kind of way but he had thought that Grace was too young for him at the time. It wasn’t until she started dating Aaron that he realized that he liked her in a more than friends way.

After Aaron and her split up, rather amicably, James pursued her and they entered an almost two year relationship. It was the Harry Potter romance that inspired a lot of fan art and fanfiction surrounding Fred Weasley and Luna Lovegood. In the end they realized that they were better off of friends so they ended it and were still great friends to this day. What she thought was her worst relationship was with Alex, the lead singer of The Arctic Monkeys, who wasn’t a costar for a change. He had seemed so mysterious and cool at first with the way he smoked his cigarettes and all the hair product he used in his hair but Alex was only hard to reach and reckless. There wasn’t any mystery to him at all. It was a wonder how they lasted the nine months they did because they had absolutely nothing in common. At the time she may have broken it off with him because of his dislike of Taylor and her music but the older version of herself was glad that she had ended it. It also didn’t end amicably which you could probably hear through his array of songs about her off his last album. 

Then of course there was Tom. 

So as you can see, Grace didn’t have the best track record when it came to her costars. If Ryan and her hadn’t been with other people at the time then she was sure that maybe something would’ve happened between them because Grace seemed to have a tendency for dating her costars. And it never turned out well for her. She thought it had with Tom but after six long years with the man, Grace was obviously proved wrong. Snapping out of her panicked thoughts, Grace calmly entered the main section of the plane. She forced any thoughts out of her head that may have circled around the attractiveness of Pedro. She had blushed like a school girl the other night but that was going to be the extent of it. Grace reminded herself that he was a forty one year old man and she was twenty six year old woman who shouldn’t be attracted to a man that much older than herself. Besides… he would probably never look at her that way anyways. Pedro had been extremely polite to her the other night and through text messages but that was most likely only because saw her as a young girl… Practically a child in his eyes. No, Grace refused to embarrass herself again by acting like the stupid, foolish twenty year old she once was. She was nearing twenty seven now and it was time to grow up.

“Grace, I see you’ve finally made it.” Pedro greeted as he noticed the familiar blonde as well as her furry friend. His whole face seemed to light up as he greeted her but Grace just dismissed it as him being excited to film the new movie. He had what must have been his script in his hands and it was clear that he had probably been going over the lines before she walked in. Grace had her own script in her bag that she had been planning on reading again once they took off. 

“Yeah, I hope you haven’t been waiting for too long.” Grace replied but Pedro just shook his head. His gaze was full of amusement as he looked between Grace and Ash.

“No, I wasn’t. We don’t take off for another thirty minutes anyways.” Grace nodded as she took a seat on the couch that faced opposite of the chair that Pedro was sitting in. Ash hopped up on the couch after her before lying down and making himself comfortable. Grace smiled at him adoringly as he rested his head in her lap; she gently petted him on the head before rubbing behind his ears affectionately. 

“You’re bringing your dog?” Pedro asked. It wasn’t in a condescending kind of way but just in a very curious way. Grace blushed as she looked up from Ash, she didn’t want Pedro to think she was one of those people who couldn’t live without their dog. It was true because she obviously couldn’t live without Ash if she was whisking him away to LA with her. It was for this reason that Grace was completely sure that her and Amanda Seyfried could be best friends given their obsession with their dogs. 

“You don’t have to say it. I know I’m one of those people who brings their dog everywhere with them.” Grace told him and Pedro chuckled in response.

“Hey, I didn’t say anything.” It was then that Pedro studied the dog curiously because he could tell how much Grace adored the German Shepard given the look on her face. She looked just as effortlessly elegant and beautiful as she had looked during their night out. Grace wore a vintage looking mint green A-line skirt and a navy blue blouse with a flowery pattern printed on it. She wore vintage Lucy t-strap heels that also matched the color of her skirt. Grace’s long blonde hair was down today unlike the other night but she looked even more beautiful this way. Her makeup was done more natural than it had been before with less eyeliner and mascara as well as no eyeshadow. 

“Well, I couldn’t bare to leave him with my agent for three months so I decided to take him with me. He’s never been anywhere with me before so I’m sure he might get a little panicked when we take off. I hope we won’t be much of a bother to you.” Pedro only smiled before shaking his head.

“That’s alright with me. I love dogs… Now cats are a different story.” Grace gave him a curious look.

“Do you have a dog as well?” 

“Not for a long time. I think you mentioned his name was Ash last time we saw each other.” Grace nodded but the truth was that she barely remembered that. The end of that night was a little blurry for her but she might have remembered him seeing the wallpaper on her phone. 

“Yes. I adopted him from the animal shelter a couple of months ago. I’ve never really had a dog before or a pet of any sort. My father was always a neat freak and hated the idea of a pet shedding fur all over the house. My ex was also kind of the same way so I was never able to have a dog until now.” Grace told him honestly and Pedro was surprised. The way that the media was always talking about Grace and her ex, he thought it would be hard for her to even mention the guy. Pedro knew that if had faced something similar that he wouldn’t be able to mention an ex let alone with little to no consequence at all. His agent had strongly informed him not to bring up anything from the media about Grace’s ex to the blonde actress in question but Grace hadn’t seemed that sensitive to the topic.

“But now that you’re free at last I’ve bet you’ve been living life to the fullest.” Grace laughed before rolling her eyes playfully.

“Yes, I’ve fully taken advantage of single life. Between getting a dog, binge watching ‘New Girl’, and living alone, I’m living the dream.” Grace confessed although Pedro could detect the sarcasm in her tone. 

“I’ve lived alone for almost twelve straight years, you’ll be okay trust me.” Grace glanced back at him, studying the expression on his face. Twelve years of living alone? Grace didn’t even know how she survived living alone these past few months. She missed the little things like saying good night or forcing someone to watch ‘True Blood’ with her. It was hardly any fun watching ‘True Blood’ with someone who could care less like Ash. Pedro laughed as he noticed the near horrified look on his new costar’s face.

“Relax! I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sure you won’t live alone for twelve years, I’m just hard to live with.” 

“I’m sure that’s not true.” Grace replied politely as she rubbed behind Ash’s ears. 

Pedro watched her and was left a confused by the blonde actress. She seemed incredibly shy like she had the other night but there was something else about her. A kind sort of spirit about her that Pedro initially just dismissed as her being British but now he was thinking that maybe that was just how she was. He had only seen her twice now although the first time had been for a few hours but there were certain things he could pick out about Grace. When she was feeling shy or embarrassed, Grace tended to avoid eye contact and blush a lovely rose color that complimented her pale complexion. Grace also had a very dry, sarcastic sense of humor that Pedro found amusing. The Grace Gallagher in the magazines always seemed elegant and serious but the Grace in real life just seemed like the kind of girl he could along with. 

“Miss Gallagher? Mr. Pascal? We’re getting readying to take off in about five minutes so make sure you fasten your seat belts.” The flight attendant reminded them and the both of them nodded politely. Pedro completely surprised Grace by quickly moving away from his seat and sitting next to her on the couch. Ash lifted his head from Grace’s lap for a moment as he sniffed Pedro before deciding that the older man wasn’t much of a threat and laid back down. Grace raised a brow at Pedro.

“What are you doing?” Grace asked him. Pedro grabbed the buckle and fastened himself in, preparing for the plane to take off.

“You said that you were worried about how Ash might react to the plane taking off. I thought that I could be of some help if he gets out of hand.” Grace blushed, smiling at Pedro’s act of thoughtful kindness. It was very sweet of him to offer.

“That’s very kind of you but Ash sheds a lot. He might get a lot of fur on your clothes.” Pedro only chuckled. 

“I’m not wearing a suit or anything. I’m sure I’ll be fine.” Grace nodded before also buckling herself in for the flight. After she finished with the seat belt she turned her attention back to Ash by softly running her fingers through his fur. Ash was always calmed down by that action so Grace was hoping that she could soothe him. 

“May I?” Pedro asked, questioning whether or not it was okay for him to pet Ash.

“Of course. He loves attention.” Pedro smiled in return before also petting the tough looking German Shepard. It was then that he noticed the chunk missing from one of his ears and the murkiness of his left eye as well as the scar that ran across it. 

“What happened to him? If you don’t mind me asking that is.” Pedro questioned, curious about the story behind Ash. If he had seen the big, German Shepard alone, Pedro honestly would have run the other way because the dog looked very intimidating. Somehow the big, mean looking dog didn’t look so big and mean when following around a vintage skirt wearing Grace Gallagher. 

“No, it’s fine. I don’t know much to tell you the truth but I know that he used to be neglected by his previous owner. I think he was meant to be some kind of guard dog but he got himself caught in a barb wire fence and his previous owner kind of abandoned him for fear of paying any veterinarian bills. The shelter took him in and then I found him.” Grace rubbed Ash’s ears affectionately and Pedro wondered what drew such an elegant and regal looking Brit to such a worn down looking dog. Pedro could tell that she loved her furry companion very much just by the look of adoration on her face.

“How old is he?” 

“He’s three but he’s wise beyond his years.” Grace told him and Pedro couldn’t whether she was being serious or not. Before Pedro could say anything further the pilot announced that they were going to take off. Grace started to feel anxious but not because of the flight. No, she felt more than ready to return to acting after an eleven month hiatus. Grace could hardly wait to get started. She just hoped that none of the drama from her personal life would affect her work.

The take off for the flight had been rough with Ash since he had never been on a plane before. He whimpered a lot and may have barked a couple of times before Grace told him to stop. Grace was extremely grateful that Pedro had offered to help with Ash because it turned out that she definitely needed his help. Ash had become so anxious during takeoff that it took both Grace and Pedro’s strength to hold him down so that he wouldn’t run around the plane. They laughed a little during process because it was completely ridiculous. Both of them trying to calm down this bear of a dog and stop him from having a panic attack. There was even a moment when Pedro and Grace grabbed each other’s hands to trap Ash between them. If only the paparazzi could snap a photo of Grace in this ridiculous state. 

Once they were in the air, things calmed down. Ash resorted back to laying down on the couch between Pedro and Grace, falling asleep not that far into the flight. The two of them soon started laughing about Grace’s crazy dog and they soon fell into an easy conversation about what they were going to do once they got to LA. Grace was going to check into her hotel room but Pedro seemed determine to get her to go with him to another bar. 

“I don’t want to go to another bar with you.” Pedro pretended to look offended as Grace refused to go with him to a bar.

“Why not? Didn’t you have fun the other night?” Grace scoffed.

“Until I woke up with the worst hangover I’ve had since I was eighteen. So… No, thank you.” 

“Come on! I don’t just want to go to my hotel room and call it a night. Baz wants to start rehearsals tomorrow so who knows when we can have fun again?” Grace rolled her eyes.

“So your plan is to go out, get drunk, and then have a massive hangover just in time for our first day of work?” Pedro nodded like it was a no brainer but Grace could only laugh at him in amusement.

“Exactly.”

“That is probably the least practical idea I’ve ever heard.” Grace told him honestly but Pedro knew that she meant that it was the stupidest idea that she ever heard. 

“You’re pretty boring for someone so young.” Pedro told her, expecting for her to look insulted but Grace only looked amused. 

“Thank you.” She replied before glancing back at him. “And you’re very immature for someone so old.” Grace feared for a moment that perhaps she had offended Pedro since it was rare that Americans understood British humor but he surprised her by laughing. 

“I’m proud of it. So what do you say?” There was nothing Grace wanted to do more than get settled into her hotel room and take a long nap but Pedro was giving her something close to what must have been a puppy dog look. Grace really didn’t want to go to another bar with him because she was afraid that she would say something stupid or worse… Do something stupid. 

“Can’t you text George or Robert to go with you?” Pedro only shrugged.

“Well, I don’t really know them so that would be weird.” Grace sighed because she couldn’t believe that she was actually thinking about going out somewhere with Pedro. What happened to being a shut in? 

“Don’t you have any friends in LA?” Pedro gave her a sheepish look.

“They’re off filming something.”

“And why can’t you go by yourself? You’re a grown man, aren’t you? Why do you need me?” 

“It’s no fun drinking alone.” Grace rolled her eyes.

“Fine, I’ll go with you but I get to pick the place.” Pedro seemed relieved that Grace finally agreed to go out with him. To be honest he really didn’t care whether or not they went out but he just wanted an excuse to spend more time with her. The other night proved that Grace Gallagher was an odd but fun person to go to a bar with. She got all flushed and acted bolder and less proper than she seemed to normally act. He concluded that this made Grace an interesting person to drink with. It may or may not have to do with the fact that he was attracted to Grace although Pedro didn’t think that he would be able to admit that aloud. He told himself it was only because she was Grace Gallagher so of course he found her attractive. Who wouldn’t? 

It wasn’t like Grace would be attracted to him anyways. To her he was probably just an old man and nowhere near as famous as her. Her ex was famously known for his handsomeness given the fact that he even had a group of fangirls after him. Tom Hiddleston with his sharp cheekbones, big blue eyes, and tall but lean stature. Her ex had both looks and talent seeing as he was a very accomplished stage actor as well. Grace definitely wouldn’t see anything in Pedro when she could have her choice in men. He would be lying if he said that he hadn’t thought of her the past few days. She was prim and proper but there was a lot more to Grace than her polite exterior. Pedro convinced himself that it had been too long since he had been in the company of a beautiful woman. Besides… He didn’t want to become that cliché actor who lusted after women significantly younger than himself. Those kinds of actors were lecherous creeps who couldn’t control themselves and Pedro wasn’t the type to go after women that young. It was odd thinking that Grace was probably only three when he was attending college. He would just have keep reminding himself of that fact the more time he spent with her. That reminder would probably have to be used often considering the amount of time they were going to have to spend together while they filmed the movie. 

It was going to be a long four months.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace prepares for her night out with Pedro and receives a call from back from home.

A few hours later they landed at LAX safe and sound although Ash had another little panic attack as they were landing. Luckily Pedro helped her with him again, this time it was even more hilarious considering the amount of Ash’s squirming and their laughing. Grace and Pedro had spent the entirety of the plane ride going over their lines together. Mostly it was just taking apart every little scene Grace and Pedro shared as her grandparents. They analyzed every single line and discussed their interpretation of it, everything ended up becoming much more clear after that. With the amount of time they had been spending together going over the script, Grace was sure that when it came to filming there wouldn’t be too many problems that would arise. 

There was a car that picked them up outside the plane, the studio seemed to be investing a lot into this new movie. They were counting on this movie to be the most grand, beautiful, and romantic film that would come out in 2017. It took them forever before they were finally able to reach the hotel that the studio had set them up at. Apparently nothing had changed in LA as far as traffic went and that was definitely something that she hadn’t missed about LA. Things were quiet for the most part in the car between her and Pedro as they checked their phones for any messages or missed calls. Ash sat between them in the backseat and Grace was thankful that Pedro hadn’t been bothered by all the shed fur that was bound to be on his clothes.

It was the beginning of August so it was of course very warm and bright in LA which made Grace want to retreat into her hotel room with the air conditioning turned up high and her blinds shut. Now that she was in LA to work there would be no time for discomfort. Grace would just have to get through all the sunny, heated august afternoons and hope that her very English skin didn’t burn from the intensity of the sun. Once they arrived at the hotel, Grace and Pedro checked in at the front desk while their luggage was being taken up to their rooms. It was one of the higher end hotels of LA so Grace was wondering just how long the studio was willing to have two of their actors put up there. 

Grace and Pedro made their way up to their respective hotel rooms whilst making idle chit chat in the elevator. People stared at them as they made their way down the hall to their rooms but not because anyone recognized them. No, it was because a rather stray looking German Shepard followed the nicely dressed blonde. Not many of the hotel’s occupants ever brought their dogs to the hotel and if they did they were pampered little lap dogs. Grace, however, didn’t seem to have a care in the world as she walked down the hall alongside Pedro. It had become a new goal in her life… Not to care what other people thought of her. 

“So where are we going?” Pedro questioned as they walked down the hall. Grace gave him a curious look as she glanced back up at him. 

“Sorry?” 

“You said that you were picking out where we’re going this time.” Grace nodded. She honestly forgot about that portion of their conversation from the plane. There had a lot had been on Grace’s mind so it was easy to distract herself with other things.

“Oh… Right. Well, let’s just make it a surprise.” Pedro raised an eyebrow. 

“A surprise? I don’t really like surprises.” Grace just smirked at him.

“All I’ll say is that it’s a club so just dress for that. See you in a few hours.” Grace told him before leaving his side and approaching the door of her hotel suite. Pedro looked after her with a curious look in his gaze, wondering just what was going through the mind of Grace. She was definitely the kind of person that made you wonder. That was something that he could definitely determine about the famous blonde actress. 

Grace entered her large and lavish hotel room after telling Pedro that she would see him later that night. It was about time that she got settled. The room was expansive with high ceilings and a large amount of space. There was a small kitchen inside that contained everything within it so that she could cook if necessary. French doors opened up between the bedroom area of the hotel suite and the living room area that contained the kitchen off to the far right wall. The bathroom connected to the bedroom and was every bit as lavish with its roomy shower and luxurious looking tub. It was perhaps one of the nicest hotel suites that she had ever stayed in. Her luggage was already in the room so Grace didn’t waste any time unpacking.

She thought it was best that she didn’t unpack everything since it was quite often that the studio had their actors moved to a different hotel or even apartment during filming. Grace unpacked about a week’s worth of clothing and necessities before looking through Ash’s things. She pulled out his dog food dish as well as his water bowl. Grace was sure that she had about a few days’ worth of dog food so she would have to go to Whole Foods shortly. She would probably go tomorrow after filming was done or maybe when she had a break. Ash didn’t waste any time making himself at home as he padded into the living room and hopped up onto the couch. Grace smiled in amusement before grabbing a change of clothes and heading towards the bathroom. She always felt a bit unclean after flights and especially flights as long as the one from New York to Los Angeles. It had been a while since she had a good bath anyways.

After Grace’s long bath she took a much needed nap wearing the hotel’s complimentary robe. Whenever she stayed in hotels Grace often felt as though she were a little kid, like she was staying in an upscale hotel in Paris all over again. When she was a little girl she always loved staying in hotels because it was exciting and different. It was a few hours later when Grace was finally woken up by her phone ringing. The blonde actress tiredly rubbed her eyes as she unlocked the screen to answer it without seeing who it was that was calling her. It was in that moment where she became more alert as realized that it could’ve been anyone on the phone. Her mind went to the worst possible situation and she started to panic whether or not it was someone like Taylor on the phone. Someone that she absolutely loathed the idea of talking to. 

“Hello?” She answered with hesitation in her voice.

“Darling, you were supposed to call me the moment you landed.” Grace sighed in relief. It was only her father, a very worried father but at least it wasn’t Tom or worse… Taylor. 

“Right… Sorry, dad. We were kind of rushed away from the airport and then of course there was the Los Angeles traffic. By the time we got to the hotel I was beyond tired so I just took a bath and fell asleep. I completely forgot but everything just happened so fast.” 

“That’s completely alright, Gracie, I understand. Things have been quite busy here in the newsroom too I’m afraid.” Her father replied, pausing for a brief moment before speaking again. “What did you mean by “we”?” 

“Oh… I just meant Pedro and I.”

“Pedro? Who in the bloody hell is Pedro?” Grace smiled at her father’s bewildered tone. 

“I told you about him, dad. Remember? He’s playing grandfather in the new film. We both live in New York so the studio flew the both of us out on a private plane.” Grace thought that it was best not to mention her night out with Pedro. Her father was always persistent about her not going out partying all night like all her celebrity counterparts. She didn’t think her father would approve of her going out to a bar with a man she hardly knew. 

“Right… Well, be careful around him, Gracie.” Grace rolled her eyes at her father’s tone.

“Dad, there’s nothing to worry about. I’ve talked to him quite a bit and I’ve found that he’s a very kind and funny person. So there’s nothing to fear.” 

“You’re a very beautiful, young woman so of course he’s kind and polite.” Her father replied in that ‘no nonsense’ tone of his. Her father was always so pessimistic when it came to people. Eric Gallagher always saw the worst in people. She always rolled her eyes at her father’s nature but maybe he was onto something. He had never really liked Tom after all so maybe he was right in the long run.

“He’s forty one… Much too old for me and I’m sure he just sees me as a silly little girl.” Her father scoffed.

“Darling, men aren’t as moralistic as you would like to believe.” 

“Then you can rest well knowing that I have no interests in relationships at the moment and especially with costars that are fifteen years older than me.” She told her father confidently although she wasn’t quite sure she believed herself. Grace knew that she was attracted to Pedro but she wasn’t about to admit that to her father. What was the point? She had no intention of romance in the near future so her attraction to Pedro was just that… An attraction. Grace wasn’t going to even entertain the idea of a summer romance with her new costar. Could you imagine the headlines in the news?

“Good.” Her father replied, sounding a bit satisfied that his daughter was putting off relationships for the moment. The last one was such a mess that Eric wanted his daughter to have the time to heal before finding another person to commit herself to. It wasn’t as though he expected his daughter to eventually marry again. No, it was quite the opposite. He actually hoped that his daughter never dated again because all the boyfriends she had in the past must have taken ten years off his life span.

“So how is Bethany?” Grace asked of her younger sister.

“Oh, she’s just fine. Settling in at college and hardly has any time to talk to her old dad.” Grace laughed, amused at her father’s sad tone.

“I’m sure that’s not true, dad.”

“I’m afraid it is, darling. Bethany’s made plenty of new friends, she’s enjoying her studies, and your sister’s even gotten herself a boyfriend.” Grace’s eyebrow lifted in surprise. It was a surprise to her because as far as she knew Bethany had never had a boyfriend before. Bethany was quite different from her famous older sister. Grace had always been a bit boy crazy at Bethany’s age but Bethany was very serious and focused on her studies. That was something that the older blonde had always teased her little sister about.

“Really? A boyfriend? Our Bethany?” Her father chuckled.

“The very same Bethany. Apparently his name is Colin and he’s from Scotland.” Grace smiled because she was happy for her sister. She always thought Bethany took herself too seriously but she supposed college loosened her up quite a bit. It was a good thing.

“Well, that’s nice. How about Alex?” Grace inquired of her older brother.

“He’s doing just fine at the job. Apparently Alex has been asked to become a partner for that law firm he’s been working for.” Grace was surprised by that news. Her brother was a lawyer and pretty great one at that. Having a lawyer in the family was also very nice, especially when you were a person of some notoriety. Alex had leant Grace his services during her divorce and he was usually present for most of the contracts she signed although she hadn’t needed to sign a contract since she signed the one for this film.

“That’s fantastic although he never mentioned anything to me during our phone call last week.” 

“He was feeling very anxious about the offer but didn’t want to say anything until it was a done deal. I’m sure he’ll be livid that I told you. Alex was going to call you later this week.”

“I’ll pretend to be surprised for your sake.” She paused as she thought of something else. “How are Luke and Charlotte by the way?”

“Luke is doing fine at school. He’s actually doing a school play and has been bragging that his aunt is a famous actress. Charlotte’s been doing great too which is a wonder since she has to handle both Luke and Alex.” Grace laughed as she heard the bit about Luke doing a school play. Luke was her seven year old nephew who was also craziest little boy she knew. Charlotte was her sister-in-law who seemed like she was meant to be a mother. Charlotte with her amazing cooking and kind spirit, she made all the other mothers look like amateurs.

“Well, that’s great. I’m glad everyone is doing so well.”

“And are you doing well, Gracie?” The smile fell off her face at her father’s innocent question.

“Dad, I’m doing fine. I’m about to start working again and I couldn’t be any more excited than I already am. This project is very close to my heart as I’m sure you’re aware of.”

“Of course, darling, I just worry about you sometimes.” Grace felt a bit bad for reassuring her father that she was fine because a small part of her was still sad. She may have known that Tom and her had been over a long time ago but the betrayal of him and her former friend still had a heavy weight over her heart. It was still going to take time to heal from that blow of betrayal and the hurt it had caused her.

“I’ll be okay, dad, no need to worry.”

“Well, if you’re sure then. I should probably let you go since you have such a big day tomorrow.” Grace smiled again although this time it felt more forced.

“Alright, dad. I’ll call you later in the week.”

“I’ll be expecting you.” He told her, his tone making it known to Grace that he didn’t want her to forget like she did today. Grace suddenly felt like she was sixteen all over again as her father worried about her going off to film a movie. “Goodbye, Gracie.”

“Bye, dad.” She then proceeded to hang up the phone. It had been over a week since she had last talked to her father but she was glad that she had. Her father reminded her that she shouldn’t be thinking about men at this point in her life. Working on the new film would provide her with more than enough time to occupy her mind. It was then that Grace realized that it was beginning to get dark and therefore time to go out with Pedro like she promised. She texted him to meet her outside their hotel rooms in an hour in which he quickly replied with a brief yes. 

It took Grace maybe forty five minutes of that hour to actually get ready. She honestly wasn’t sure why she was putting forth such an effort. It wasn’t as if she was going on a date with Pedro because she wasn’t. This was just her simply going out for a night of fun with a new costar to get more of that bonding time in for their chemistry. Grace had done the same thing with Ryan when they first met although she and Ryan only went out for frozen yogurt and coffee a few times during those first couple of months after meeting. It was also different because she had already been in a relationship when she first met Ryan but that was no longer the case. Grace shook off any apprehensive feelings about the night out and reminded herself that it was all the for the sake of the film. 

Her make-up was done with more of an effort than she had ever put in within the past few months. She applied her eyeliner with a thicker layer than normal, giving her eyes a winged look. Grace’s eyeshadow was done with that smoky effect. She decided to just settle for mascara without the addition of false eyelashes. Those tended to be a hassle that Grace only reserved for award shows when her publicist told her it was absolutely necessary. She completed the look with a pale pink shade of lipstick applied to her already pink lips. Grace decided to leave her hair down as she had left it earlier during the day. Grace put on a cerulean blue, strapless peplum dress that was quite a bit different from her usual vintage skirts and sundresses. It was form fitting and shorter than what she normally wore, ending well above her knees but wasn’t uncomfortably short. Despite the dress being strapless, it wasn’t very revealing as far as her cleavage was concerned although Grace was never sure if she had enough cleavage to show off anyways. She paired the dress with a pair of matching blue platform stilettos that made her height of 5’7 climb to 5’11. 

Grace didn’t know what had gotten into her that she was actually willing to go out in public especially to a club. This wasn’t like her at all. Well… It used to be for her a long time ago but Grace was different now. She didn’t travel along in Taylor’s Swift entourage of famous actresses, musicians, and models. The truth was that Grace never went clubbing like normal twenty something year olds but it went beyond how she was raised. She was never the most rebellious of teenagers but Grace knew that the unwillingness to go clubbing was mostly due to Tom. While Tom may have been the perfect gentlemen, he never liked the idea of her going out alone. He loathed the thought of other men around her and even became annoyed at the amount of films she did with handsome leading men. Michael Fassbender, Logan Lerman, Colin Firth, Sam Claflin, Richard Madden, and most of all… Ryan Gosling. 

Tom always hated that Grace continuously worked with Ryan and always starred in movies with him where they played love interests. When their on screen chemistry started receiving public and critical appraisal it only frustrated Tom more. Grace and Tom argued all the time about Ryan although Grace never admitted that to the Canadian actor. It didn’t seem to matter to Tom that Ryan was settled down with Eva and had two beautiful daughters with the Latina actress. Grace thought that one of the contributing factors to their separation was the fact that she signed onto to do ‘La La Land’ without telling him that Ryan was also starring in it. It just became an insecurity that seemed to eat at Tom for no reason at all. 

Tom was okay with her hanging out with Taylor and her devoted group of followers and fame seekers but that was only because the famous squad contained no men whatsoever… Unless you counted Ed Sheeran who was an unofficial squad member. Maybe she needed to go out like this and act like a normal twenty something year old. All these years of being in a committed relationship didn’t allow her any normalcy like her friends were always talking her about. Emma and Bonnie didn’t understand Grace’s desire to get married so young and have a family but they couldn’t possibly understand. Grace had lost her mother at an age where she needed her mother the most. It was a long forming desire in her heart to start her own family and be the mother to her children that Grace had lost at such a young age. It was a perfectly normal thing to want although maybe it wasn’t so normal in this day and age. Her grandmother had gotten married to her grandfather at Grace’s age anyways. It wasn’t so odd back then. 

While getting married and starting a family may have once been Grace’s dream, a lot had changed since then. Grace had been through an awful lot and she didn’t think that she was looking to fulfill that long lost dream anytime soon. In all honesty, Grace had been very naïve and foolish but she thought that she had matured quite a bit since then so going to one club wasn’t going to hurt. She would be lying if she was saying that the prospect of going out wasn’t exciting to her. Besides… It was only one night. Tomorrow it would be back to work and back to getting her life back to normal. Grace could hardly wait for the opportunity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is more of a filler chapter but I promise Pedro will be in much more of the next chapter. I'll post Grace's filmography that I made up in the meantime.
> 
> Grace Gallagher's Filmography
> 
> Films  
> (2007) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as Luna Lovegood  
> (2008) Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging as Jas  
> (2008) Wild Child as Drippy  
> (2009) Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince as Luna Lovegood  
> (2009) Lovers in Revolt as Sheeni Saunders  
> (2010) Valentine’s Day as Grace  
> (2010) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One as Luna Lovegood  
> (2011) Jane Eyre as Blanche Ingram  
> (2011) Midnight in Paris as Zelda Fitzgerald  
> (2011) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two as Luna Lovegood  
> (2011) Crazy, Stupid, Love as Hannah Weaver  
> (2011) The Descendants as Alexandra King  
> (2012) Stuck in Love as Samantha Borgens  
> (2012) Ruby Sparks as Ruby Sparks  
> (2013) Belle as Lady Elizabeth Murray  
> (2013) Gangster Squad as Grace Faraday  
> (2013) About Time as Charlotte  
> (2014) Magic in the Moonlight as Sophie Baker  
> (2014) Love, Rosie as Rosie Dunne  
> (2015) Cinderella as Cinderella  
> (2016) The Junglebook as Raksha  
> (2016) The Shallows as Nancy Adams  
> (2016) La La Land as Mia Dolan  
> (2017) Grace of Hollywood as Grace Kelly
> 
> TV Shows  
> (2007-2008) Skins as Cassie Ainsworth-19 Episodes(Main Cast Member)  
> (2010-2012) Downton Abbey as Lady Sybil Crawley- 20 Episodes(Main Cast Member)  
> (2011; 2015) SNL(Host)- Two Episodes
> 
> Music Videos  
> (2015) Bad Blood-Taylor Swift Music Video


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace takes Pedro to a club and realizes their attraction may be harder to ignore than she originally thought especially with new feelings arising.

The knock on the door alerted Grace that it was time to head out with Pedro for their night of fun and drinking. It was just was she needed anyways, what with all other things going on in her life. It was time to forget all her troubles and drama for the night and have fun with a new friend. Clubbing was hardly her thing but it would be now for a couple hours at the most. Pedro had already proved to be a more than entertaining person to be around so having fun tonight hopefully wouldn’t be too hard. 

Grace collected her small clutch purse that matched the cerulean blue of her outfit. The contents of her clutch contained her wallet, hotel key, iPhone, and her moisturizing lip balm. It wasn’t like you could fit much more in a clutch. The blonde glanced back at Ash who was passed out asleep on the bed. She smiled warmly at the adorable sight, trying to fight the temptation within herself to pull out her phone and capture a picture of him. Feeling a bit worried for her companion, Grace switched the bedside lamp on for him. Most people would tell her that she was being ridiculous and that he was just a dog who didn’t get scared of the dark because he wasn’t a human but Grace disagreed. It was a nice place for Ash and she hated to think of how scared he would be if he woke up in the darkness with Grace out of sight. At least the light might be able to bring some comfort to him. 

She glanced one last time at Ash before slowly and quietly opening the front door. Grace stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind her just as softly so that she would not wake up her peacefully sleeping dog. The door locked itself behind her just as Grace was able to meet Pedro’s gaze. It was an odd thing to experience because every time Grace saw Pedro it was like she was instantly reminded of how incredibly handsome he was. As soon as she left him it was like the very thought vanished from her head but when they were reunited it was simply breath taking.

Pedro was wearing a pair of black jeans that matched his short sleeved simple shirt that was also black. The look suited him because it complimented his dark and mysterious looks. His dark hair was styled in a more intricate way than it had appeared earlier during the flight. He must have freshened up from the flight as well considering the scruff from his face was gone and all was left was his iconic looking moustache. Usually facial hair was a huge turn off for Grace but somehow it suited Pedro quite well. The older actor also seemed to have used some cologne considering he carried the same sandalwood and spice scent that he had when they last went out. It was getting harder and harder for Grace to deny the attraction she held for the older man. It was definitely against everything she promised herself when she moved to New York. 

Pedro was left in awe of the blonde actress, that he was just beginning to get to know, the moment she stepped out into the hall. He had only ever seen her look formal with her vintage looking dresses and skirts. Her make-up had even been applied very naturally before so it surprised him a great deal to see a darker, different look about her. Pedro almost didn’t recognize Grace with that smoky looking eye make-up that made her look a bit older. It also seemed to make it harder for him to remember her exact age which was way too young for him. Her dress was a cerulean blue color that matched her eyes almost exactly. He noticed the way it seemed to fit snugly against her form and how it was shorter than her other dresses, showing off her long legs. Grace wore a pair of heels that made her as tall as Pedro himself, making them both eye level with each other. He cleared his throat a bit awkwardly as she stood there waiting for him to say something.

“You look um… very beautiful tonight.” Pedro told her, not knowing what else to say and also not willing to say how sexy he thought she looked in her dress. If he voiced what he was really thinking he was sure Grace would slap him across the face and it would be well deserved too. 

“Thank you. You look great too, Pedro.” Grace replied politely. It was the mild version of what she was actually thinking in her mind. “We should go then.” Pedro nodded before Grace started to walk away and he followed, trying with great determination to focus on her long blonde hair swishing from side to side instead of his line of sight drifting elsewhere.

“Are you still not going to tell where we’re going?” Pedro asked as he moved a bit faster to walk alongside Grace. She smiled at him with a bit of mischief flashing through those bright, blue eyes. 

“I told you it’s supposed to be a surprise. Are surprises such a horrid thing to have in America?” Pedro only laughed.

“No but I hate not knowing things.” She rolled her eyes playfully as they reached the elevator. Grace pressed the elevator button and they waited for the doors to open.

“Relax, we’ll be there in twenty minutes at the most… depending on traffic.” 

“And how will we be getting there?” The doors to the elevator then opened and they entered the contraption.

“Uber of course.” Grace told him before pressing the elevator button for the lobby. Pedro just stared at her with a look that was a mixture between amusement and bewilderment. 

“What is with you and Uber?” The elevator doors closed and they started to descend down to the floor of the lobby.

“I told you… it’s practical and convenient. Why? Haven’t you ever used Uber before?” She asked him but noticed the blank stare he gave her. “You haven’t, have you?”

“I’ve never had to. Everywhere I’ve gone to in New York is either by foot or taxi cab. Uber wasn’t around when I first got the city you know.” Grace nodded understandingly although she was a bit amused by his defensive reply. It as was though he was ashamed that he had never traveled by Uber before. Grace didn’t think it was uncommon that people didn’t travel through Uber. Uber was still a little new, at least, to mainstream travelers. It worked for her because Grace was never sure if she could depend on herself signaling for a taxi and seeing as she always liked to plan things out…well, it was perfect for her to say the least.

“Well, don’t worry. This will be fun for you… You’re first time taking Uber.” Grace said in a playful sort of way because she could tell he was a little weary. The elevators opened up again and they found themselves in the lobby which had quieted down a bit from earlier. It was empty for the most part save for a few people and the guy at the front desk. The lobby was so quiet that her heels made an echoing clicking sound as Grace and Pedro headed towards the front door. The driver was waiting outside his car in the valet for them. Grace recognized him from the picture.

“That’s our guy.” Grace told him quietly before going ahead and walking towards the car. Pedro still looked a bit uncomfortable but he followed her anyways. The driver opened the door for them and Grace slid in first with Pedro after her. 

“Crimson, right?” The driver asked.

“Yes, please.” Grace replied. Pedro only gave her a suspicious look as the car pulled away from the hotel. 

“Crimson? What’s Crimson?” Grace gave him a mischievous smile.

“I’m not telling. You’ll find out in about twenty minutes anyways.”

“Well, this surprise better be the surprise of the century because the anticipation is killing me.” Grace only nodded but glanced back at Pedro. It was going to be too long of a car ride to just sit in silence the whole way. 

“So are you looking forward to tomorrow?” Grace asked, taking the conversation into a different direction. Pedro sighed heavily.

“Don’t remind me.” Grace frowned.

“Are you not looking forward to production?” 

“No, it’s not that. You just have to understand that I haven’t had very much success until recently.” He glanced at the driver before lowering his voice. “ I guess you could say that I’m just a little bit nervous. Working with the likes of Baz Luhrmann, George Clooney, Robert Downey Jr… You.” Grace furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

“Me?”

“Yes, you’ve already starred in plenty of movies… You really are incredible at what you do. I could never express how much I love ‘Ruby Sparks’.” He told her sincerely and Grace blushed at his compliment. She swallowed nervously before giving him a curious look. 

“You don’t seem like a ‘Ruby Sparks’ kind of guy.”

“Well, I am.” Pedro paused briefly. “You know the first movie I ever saw you in was ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes. I remember thinking who was that girl? She had some of the funniest lines in the movie and she was a real game changer. She even made Ryan Gosling into boyfriend material.” Grace laughed but felt humbled by Pedro’s appraisal of her. 

“It’s not too difficult to make Ryan Gosling into boyfriend material… He’s a really nice guy.” Grace’s expression then took a much more serious turn. “You’ve been acting way longer than I have. You definitely have nothing to worry about. Besides… I heard Robert is very excited to be working with you. Apparently he’s a pretty big ‘Game of Thrones’ fan.”

“Is he? And what about Grace Gallagher? Is she a big ‘Game of Thrones’ fan?” Grace nervously fiddled with her clutch purse, a red blush coming over her cheeks. 

“I haven’t actually seen it yet.” Pedro gave her a surprised look but he didn’t look offended. The older man actually looked a little amused to be honest.

“You haven’t seen it? What’s the matter with you?!” Grace laughed with Pedro before shrugging sheepishly.

“Most of the time I’m just too busy but I know that’s no excuse. I feel left out since everyone else seems to watch it all the time.” 

“Who don’t you then? Be honest.” Grace gave him an uncertain look.

“I don’t know. I think I just get very attached to characters in the films and televisions series I watch and I’ve heard that a lot of characters die in ‘Game of Thrones’… Including yours.” Pedro guessed that she had a point there. There were an awful lot of character deaths in ‘Game of Thrones’ so it wasn’t really for the light hearted. “Don’t make me feel so bad…I’ve seen ‘Narcos’ and loved it. Have you even seen the television series that I’ve done?”

“Well, no.” She smirked smugly at his admission. Grace didn’t picture Pedro as a ‘Downton Abbey’ kind of guy anyways.

“See?” He held onto her gaze refusing to waver because it wasn’t often that anyone won something over him in an argument even if the argument was playful. 

“How about this? You watch ‘Game of Thrones’ and I’ll watch both of the television series that you’ve worked on. I’ve wanted to see ‘Skins’ for a while now so I now have an excuse. Everyone always talks about ‘Downton Abbey’ and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. Besides… If you’re in it then it has to be good.” Grace laughed at his flirtatious comment but she couldn’t tell whether Pedro was being serious or not. The worst part was that Grace might have secretly hoped that he was… Being serious she meant.

“You’re a real charmer, aren’t you?” He only chuckled but their back and forth banter was interrupted by the driver as the man looked in the review mirror. The driver was a man who looked to be in his thirties and had a slightly excited look on his face. 

“I don’t mean to be rude or anything but aren’t you the guy from ‘Game of Thrones’? The Red Viper?” Grace’s eyes widened in excitement as she looked between the driver and Pedro. She understood in that moment that Pedro was being recognized for his work. It was always a fun experience for her to be recognized because it was very humbling and an ego boost that caused her to think that maybe she was a good actress after all. Grace had loved being with Tom when he was recognized because his fans were very vocal and devoted. She always thought that Tom was something like John Lennon or Mick Jagger in that sense with all those Hiddlestoners following him about. Grace decidedly put away the vague reminder of Tom out of her head because tonight was about having fun. She wasn’t going to make it about Tom and let him ruin her night just like he had ruined so many other things for her.

“Yes, I am.”

“Dude, I’m such a huge fan of that show… It sucks what the Mountain did to you though.” Pedro smiled at the driver.

“Thank you. It means a lot.” Pedro replied and that seemed to be the common response most people had to appraisals of their works even ones that were very minor but significant to the actor nonetheless. The driver then glanced at Grace through the mirror. 

“I’ve seen you somewhere too? Are you a model or something?” Pedro laughed because it seemed odd to him that the guy knew who he was even though Pedro had only been on ‘Games of Thrones’ and ‘Narcos’ with a couple of supporting role in movies but the guy didn’t seem to recognize Grace. Grace Gallagher who had been starring in films and television for almost ten years now. Maybe it wasn’t so odd given that Grace looked different with her heavier eyeliner and mascara. Most of the time she normally looked like Luna Lovegood with a very natural but beautiful look about her. 

“No… I wish.” She replied but she sounded a bit different… like she was talking with an American accent. Grace had a devious smile on her face which was different from how she normally looked. This made Pedro curious. 

“I’m Jennifer Lawrence actually.” Pedro hid his laughter behind a cough because he couldn’t believe her. It was even weirder because she actually did sound like Jennifer Lawrence. Her accent was very American with that familiar huskiness that the real Jennifer Lawrence famously had in her voice. The funniest part about it was that Grace looked absolutely nothing like Jennifer Lawrence.

“Oh my god… You are!” Pedro’s eyes widened in surprise at the fact that the driver actually bought it. “I loved you in ‘Hunger Games’!” 

“Thank you… Everyone in my family told me that I couldn’t shoot a bow and arrow but I sure proved them wrong. I guess it was the Kentucky in me.” Pedro turned his face towards the window of the car so that he wouldn’t give Grace away with his laughter. His body was shaking with all the contained laughter inside him as he fought to keep it at bay. 

“That’s awesome!” He told her before making a turn and Grace thought that it would be the right moment to make a brief suggestion to the driver.

“When we get to the place do you think you could go around the back?” Grace told him still doing her Jennifer Lawrence impression. The driver nodded with a determined look on his face.

“Anything for Katniss.” Pedro snorted quietly and Grace shot him an amused look. 

“Thank you.” It was quiet for a moment but Grace noticed that they were almost there anyways. She saw the place that was the surprise that she kept going on about. It was a large building that probably went up for about three floors. Red lights shone out from the tinted windows of the upper floors as loud thumping, electronic dance music could be heard from outside… It could even be felt through all the vibrations. You could tell that the building was different from all the other buildings on the street with its blood red colored walls and black trim. Even from the outside it looked sleek and sexy. There was a long line of people waiting outside the doors which were guarded by pair of burly looking bouncers. The people looked eager and almost desperate to get in. Grace felt a bit bad for them because she knew there was nothing really worth their time inside that they couldn’t get at any of the numerous other places in town. It was Los Angeles after all but this club was different… exclusive with all of its celebrity attendees. The driver made a right hand turn after the light turned from red to green. Pedro looked curiously out the window at the sight of the club and the masses of people standing in line. 

“Isn’t that ‘ Crimson and Clover’? The club that Leonardo DiCaprio goes to?” Pedro asked before Grace smiled and nodded.

“It’s also the club where his model girlfriend broke a wine bottle over his head.” He gave her a strange look. It was funny how out of everything that has been said about the club in the past, Grace remembered that specific detail.

“Where you there?” 

“No but a friend of mine was.” The driver made a turn into the alley behind the club before proceeding to drive down the dark and narrow pavement. Pedro looked at Grace with a weary expression, growing a little uncomfortable with the sketchy situation.

“Is this the part where our Uber driver murders us?” Pedro whispered into Grace’s ear. His eyes were wide and a bit frightened. Grace honestly didn’t mean to freak him out or anything because she definitely wasn’t pranking him. She still laughed because it was kind of hilarious.

“Calm down… We’re not getting murdered. This was just my way of surprising you but I can see how creepy it is now. I guess I’m not good at surprising people.” Pedro let out a sigh of relief as he looked back at the somewhat embarrassed blonde.

“This is the surprise… an alley? Please tell you’re not the one who is going to murder me?” Grace gave him a bewildered look.

“Me? How could I possibly murder you? You’re a grown man who’s probably three times my strength.” He shrugged.

“You never know. Maybe you’re a real life witch.” Grace rolled her eyes.

“You’re silly… No, I was just trying to surprise you by taking you to ‘Crimson and Clover. I just didn’t want to go through the front door because of um… privacy reasons.” Pedro actually looked genuinely surprised at this new piece of information. While he was just kidding about the witch thing, Grace taking him to a club was definitely a different turn of events than he originally would’ve imagined. 

“What?” Grace nodded calmly.

“Yes, you were so kind the other night with showing me around a bit and paying the bill that I thought I would return the favor. You mentioned that you liked going to clubs and this one seems to be a popular one.” Pedro was shocked by Grace’s act of kindness. It was probably the last place he expected the very formal and polite Grace Gallagher to take him. It was kind of a curious thing about her because it seemed like every time he saw her, Grace did yet another thing to surprise him.

“That’s an understatement. One of my friends, who I might add stars in a couple of popular tv series, has to make a reservation weeks in advance to even be let in. When she did get in she managed to pick the one night that I was off filming something out of the country.” He mentioned and she smiled awkwardly.

“Well… You get to go now.” 

“Thank you.” Pedro told her sincerely. Grace blushed under his intense dark gaze, it was then that she noticed what a lovely, warm shade of brown his eyes were. The driver interrupted their brief moment of intensity. 

“Before you guys go do you think I could get a selfie? If you don’t mind?” Grace and Pedro looked each other before nodding, a silent agreement between them. They smiled kindly at the very eager driver.

“Of course.” Grace said as Jennifer Lawrence, keeping up the disguise. The man pulled out his phone and held it up in front of the three of them, leaning back in the driver’s seat as Grace and Pedro posed behind him. Pedro had a goofy grin on his face as he gave the camera a thumb’s up but Grace couldn’t keep a straight face as she looked at him. The picture taken captured the blonde actress laughing at the goofy, older actor which was the first picture of Grace that had been taken in a couple of months.

“Thanks!” And with that Pedro opened the car door, sliding out first before holding the door open for Grace. He offered her his hand as she climbed out of the car which she gratefully took. 

“Have a goodnight, you two!” The driver called after them before Pedro thanked him and then closed the car door. The SUV pulled off into the night and the two of them were alone at last. Grace was a little nervous herself, partly worrying whether or not she would bump into any old friends but she pushed the apprehension away as Pedro offered his arm to her. There was a staircase to the backdoor so she knew it was only so she wouldn’t trip and fall in her heels but it was still an intimidating gesture because she was attracted to him. Grace ignored the feeling and linked her arm through his anyways. Who could it hurt?

There was a bouncer waiting for Grace at the backdoor who only gave her a nod before letting both her and Pedro into the loud, cramped club. Grace had actually called the club earlier in the day, inquiring whether or not she might be able to get in that night. It wasn’t often that she name dropped herself so she felt a little awkward about the situation but it surprisingly worked. It gave her a bit of an ego boost having some power like that. 

The moment they walked into the club Grace knew there was no backing out. The Uber driver was long gone and there were too many people to be able to sneak back out. It was a lot darker than Grace would’ve imagined a club to be even with the flashing array of multi colored lights. The dance floor was large and packed with masses of sweaty people who rubbed up against each other. Grace didn’t think of herself as being a prude but the sight was much different than what she was used to seeing. She had never really gone to many clubs in the past so maybe that was why. The kind of parties people like Taylor Swift or Benedict Cumberbatch threw were never those kinds of parties. The parties she attended were more like networking parties that you attended because you needed to meet new and different people. 

The bar was almost more crowded than the dance floor it seemed like with girls that wore dresses like Grace and girls dressed more scantily than Grace. Some looked to be there for a girl’s night or a bachelorette party which immediately made her miss Emma who used to love having girl’s nights out. Their version of a girl’s night out didn’t typically involve partying but more of dinner and a movie. Grace was then distracted by a sleazy guy hitting on a girl at the bar. She smirked when the girl flipped the guy off before giving him the cold shoulder. Part of Grace wanted to go up and congratulate the woman but she knew that she needed to be more discreet than that. 

Grace noticed that the ceilings were very high as the bouncer led them up a staircase to the VIP section otherwise known as the celebrity hotspot. Grace and Pedro both shared a curious look with each other as they climbed up the stairs. This was as new to Grace as it was to Pedro. They walked down a hallway through the second floor that had different little spaces sectioned off as rooms. The spaces opened out to the hallways but were separated from others by a thin wall of privacy. On their way down to their reserved section of the floor, Grace noticed little glimpses of famous people. Justin Timberlake and his wife Jessica Biel were dancing in their sectioned off room surrounded by a group of friends. Jamie Foxx was nodding his head along to the beat of pulsing music. Zayn Malik was inside his room with his girlfriend Gigi Hadid on his lap as he whispered into her ear. Grace was even certain she saw Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani being all cute and adorable by themselves as they watched the dancers on the floor below. Was it weird that she kind of hoped that he and Adam Levine would end up together?

At last, the bouncer finally led them to their own little space on the second floor. It was nearly identical to all the other ones but it was still more private than the first floor. ‘ Crimson and Clover’ was known and appreciated for having a space that was very discreet so that celebrities could still have fun while being in a public area. The room, along with the whole club, had sort of a Moroccan vibe to it with red, sheer curtains as well as various different colored pillows littering the floor. Thankfully it wasn’t too Moroccan because it had a comfortable looking plump, red couch that matched the interior of the club. A small glass table sat in front of the couch with a small menu sitting on top. 

“A waitress will be with you soon.” The bouncer told them before walking away, leaving Grace and Pedro alone in the space. Grace immediately tossed her clutch onto the table before sitting down and Pedro went to the balcony and looked down upon the dance floor of dancers and drinkers.

“Is it just me or was that staircase ridiculously long?” Grace asked.

“No, it’s not just you. By the way… Amazing Jennifer Lawrence impression back there.” Pedro complimented Grace and she laughed, a faint blush coming over her face. Grace was only thankful that it was too dark to be able to see her blush.

“Thank you. I don’t know how many times I’ve watched ‘Silver Linings Playbook’.” 

“Is that your favorite movie?” He asked her.

“One of them.” 

“Also you should probably change the way you surprise people because when you take someone through an alley… Well, it’s a little sketchy.” Pedro added and Grace fought the urge to laugh again. She gave him an amused look. “You may be young but I’m getting up there. I could’ve had a heart attack.”

“Duly noted.” Pedro took a seat next to Grace at a comfortable distance from her. The waitress then stepped into sectioned off room with a bright smile on her face. She was about Grace’s age with purple dyed hair and a nice tan that Grace envied. Grace could near reach that sort of tan even if she lay in the sun all day long; her skin was just too fair. 

“What can I get you guys to drink tonight?” Her voice was welcoming and sweet. 

“Do you have Crown Royal whiskey?” Grace asked and the waitress nodded.

“Yes, we do. Shall I bring the bottle?” Grace glanced back at Pedro, a silent question in her eyes, and he nodded quietly. 

“Why not? Could we maybe get some Coke to go with that too?” She nodded again.

“Of course. Also… Just in case you guys didn’t know, Rihanna is going to perform in fifteen minutes.” Grace and Pedro had similar looks of surprise on their faces at hearing that specific piece of information. Grace honestly didn’t look up the scheduled events for the night when she made the call. “Well, I’ll be back with your drinks soon.” She told the pair before walking back out. 

“Rihanna is going to fucking perform?!” Pedro exclaimed the moment the waitress left the room. 

“I take it that you’re a Rihanna fan?” He nodded furiously and Grace laughed at him. Grace couldn’t quite figure Pedro out. He was much older than her but he acted kind of funny… Sort of immature and very impulsive. If she hadn’t known otherwise than she wouldn’t have even guessed that he was forty one. It wasn’t something that she found terrible but it was instead kind of refreshing. Everyone she had ever hung around treated her like a child but Pedro, for the first time ever, didn’t make her feel that way. It was nice.

“Rihanna’s hot.” Her smile faltered a little bit as she heard his appraisal of Rihanna and Grace wasn’t sure why. It was just a guy’s quick explanation for his admiration of a famous popstar so why would it fill her with envy? Of course Rihanna was very beautiful and talented so maybe that was why she was envious. Or maybe it was because she really liked Pedro and didn’t like him saying something like about someone else, a darker voice in her head said. Grace tried to ignore her conscience since it was a ridiculous notion. She hadn’t known the man for long and they were about to start filming a movie together. Grace already went through her costar dilemma before as she mentioned. 

“Aren’t you a fan too?” He asked Grace, interrupting her thoughts. Grace looked at him before shrugging, a small smile once again forming on her face.

“I guess.” Pedro nudged her in the ribs gently and she laughed, her laughter sounding soft and musical as it always did.

“What do you mean “you guess”?” 

“I just mean that I like some of her music but I’m not a devoted Rihanna fan. I am excited to watch her perform though, don’t get me wrong.” Pedro had a thoughtful expression on his face as he gazed at the mysterious and ever polite blonde actress.

“Then what kind of music does Miss Gallagher listen to?” Grace looked back at him with a look on her fact that was equally as thoughtful. She studied the look of genuine interest on his face but wondered why he was so interested. Maybe it was because they were friends at this point in their relationship or whatever that relationship was. It seemed to be a bit more than coworkers so she assumed they were friends. It felt something like it had felt with Ryan but still somehow different.

“Well, I listen to a lot of alternative rock. Bastille, Borns, Vampire Weekend, um… Florence and the Machine. Except for Maroon 5, they’re technically not rock.” Pedro frowned.

“I thought Maroon 5 was rock?” 

“They used to be but now they’re more pop. They’re still great though.” He nodded.

“I feel really old because, other than Maroon 5 and Florence and the Machine, I have no idea who those bands are.” Pedro could’ve pretended like he knew who those bands were to seem cooler but he didn’t think he could fake that kind of knowledge. 

“It’s kind of why they’re alternative, I guess. They’re more obscure than other artists but I’m more of a fan of lyrics than electronic music with a catchy beat. No offense to Justin Bieber or Katy Perry.” Pedro laughed and she gave him a questioningly look.

“I just like how you word things.” He explained and Grace rolled her eyes. She about to reply when the waitress returned with a bottle of Crown Royal, a couple bottles of Coke, and two glasses. 

“Here’s your drinks, compliments from the owner.” She set everything down on the table in front of them. “Mr. Feldman really appreciates you making an appearance at the club, Miss Gallagher…You too, Mr. Pascal. I’ll be back in case you need anything. Have fun.” 

“Thank you.” Grace and Pedro simultaneously said. With that the waitress stepped out of the room once again and disappeared down the hall. Pedro didn’t waste any time reaching for the bottle of Crown Royal and pouring it into a glass. Grace noticed how he didn’t even water it down with Coke much to her amusement. 

“What is this stuff anyways? Is it British?” He said as he passed the bottle to Grace who started pouring herself her own drink although Grace did, in fact, water it down with Coke.

“That’s very presumptuous of you.”

“Well… There’s a crown on it.” She huffed, pretending to be annoyed with him. Pedro just smirked behind his glass.

“It’s Canadian actually. I never had it before I met Ryan and then it became one of my favorites.” He set his drink down before feigning a look of sudden interest. Pedro comically rested his face in his hand to make more an effect and Grace looked at him weirdly.

“Are you referring to Ryan Gosling?”

“Yes… Why?” Pedro seemed oddly excited by his sudden interest in Ryan Gosling. Truthfully, Pedro just admired the on screen chemistry between her and Gosling like everyone else. Grace was still unaccustomed to the admiration people held for the chemistry of actors.

“No reason.” Grace raised an eyebrow at him, a doubtful look on her face. “So are the two of you really friends in real life?” 

“Yes, we are… Or at least we were.” She admitted but widened her eyes once she realized what she had just said. Pedro furrowed his eyebrows at her as he tried to get a read on what exactly Grace meant but the troubled expression on her face vanished just as soon as it appeared. “I just mean we haven’t talked in quite a while.”

“I guess things kind of get mixed up in our line of work.” He told her, not knowing what else to say. Pedro knew that something was up but figured that Grace didn’t want to talk about it. The older actor did the only thing he could do and changed the subject.

“So do you always get free booze when you come here?” He asked, gesturing to his glass. Grace’s once troubled expression was replaced with a carefree look as she laughed at Pedro’s quip. 

“No, I’ve never actually been here.” Pedro gave her a surprised look. 

“Wait… You’ve never been here before?” She shook her head. “Then how did you get in?”

“I guess it works mostly on an invitation basis. If you get an invite then you can get in pretty easily. I don’t usually go to clubs so I’ve never really used the opportunity to my advantage.” If he had been surprised before then he was even more so now.

“But you’re in your twenties aren’t you?”

“I’m twenty six.” She replied. 

“Right… Well, I remember when I was twenty six and I didn’t do much else aside from clubs, booze, and parties.” He smirked just then. “Nothing really changed then.” 

“I guess I’m just boring.” Grace said simply causing Pedro to roll his eyes at her.

“You’re not boring. You’re just very rational and mature.” She scoffed.

“Boring.” Pedro gave her an amused look before shaking his head.

“Not at all. I could really do with your levelheadedness and rationality… even now.” Grace felt warmed by his compliment of her. She knew that his compliment shouldn’t have meant that much to her but Grace could help the warm flush that came over her cheeks. 

“Most people would call me cold or aloof.” Pedro only smiled at her.

“I just think you’re shy… Well that and very British.” Grace wasn’t sure what to say to that but fortunately didn’t have to say anything as the lights dimmed and the dancers on the floor below them cheered. It seemed that it came time for Rihanna to perform. Grace and Pedro shared a smile before getting up and heading towards the balcony. 

Rihanna’s concert inside the club was loud and blaring like Grace would have expected but she still loved every moment of it surprisingly. Grace had never met the famous singer before but she did enjoy some of her music from time to time. Pedro made Grace laugh throughout the whole concert as he sang along to every single Rihanna song. From ‘S&M’ to ‘Bitch Better Have My Money’, Pedro seemed to know every single lyric. Grace didn’t really dance the kind of dancing that usually came with Rihanna songs. She had spent the nearly first fourteen years of her life practicing ballet and had learned an assortment of different styles of dancing while filming ‘La La Land’ but none of it was like this. 

“Why aren’t you dancing?!” Pedro shouted over the music at Grace. Grace just shrugged uncomfortably, feeling a little embarrassed.

“I don’t really dance like that!” She called back out to him as Rihanna sang ‘Desperado’, a song off her new album. Pedro moved closer to her but Grace moved back a step as a reflex.

“What do you mean?!” She looked away from him, feeling another blush coming her way.

“I don’t know how to dance like that!” She admitted. Grace expected Pedro to laugh at her and give her another one of those amused looks of his. When she turned back to face him he completely surprised her by looking at her with an intense look in those dark eyes. Her throat suddenly felt very dry.

“There’s nothing to it. Let the expert show you.” He held out his hands and Grace gave him a suspicious look.

“What?”

“Do you trust me?” Grace smirked at him.

“No.” Pedro laughed.

“I’m being serious. Take my hands.” Grace did as he told her, placing her small hands in his much larger ones. Grace blamed the warmth she felt on all the alcohol she had previously consumed. Pedro pulled her closer to him, swallowing a little harder at the amount of distance between them which was close to none. He could smell a sweet floral scent coming from her which must have been her shampoo. Grace smelled of orchids and raspberries, a scent that was all together intoxicating even without the alcohol. 

“Just watch me.” He whispered into her ear, his breath smelled of the whiskey they had been consuming. He then gracefully swayed to the gentle beat from Rihanna’s sensual, intimate song. Grace, still holding his hands, followed his movements. She was always good at following instructions from all her dance lessons as a young girl. It wasn’t entirely too difficult for her to follow Pedro’s instructions. It didn’t seem very complicated or sexual at first but then something changed. 

As Rihanna sang the pre-chorus they moved closer until there was absolutely no space between them at all. Grace eye’s widened because she had never danced like that at all… Not even with Tom. This really wasn’t like her and she knew it was inappropriate. Grace told herself that she should stop but for some reason she just couldn’t… and she didn’t want to stop either. She was surprised to find that she and Pedro had even started grinding which was beyond anything she thought she was capable of doing. Their hands had somehow let go of each other and had instead wrapped around one and other, Pedro holding her close to him. Her face was buried into his neck and Grace could even feel his arousal. It was then that Grace could no longer fight the urge to look at him. She raised her head from his neck and met his intense gaze. His eyes were no longer the warm brown she remembered but almost black, his pupils completely dilated. Grace felt a familiar warm feeling in her stomach that she hadn’t felt in a while and she knew that she wanted him. The intense feeling terrified her. 

Before she could think any further on the subject, the song came to an end and left the club in silence for a brief moment as Rihanna took a thirty second break and drank from her bottle of water. Grace and Pedro remained locked in an intense gaze, neither one of them say anything. Something seemed to snap Grace out of the spell and she quickly looked away, backing away from Pedro and out of his embrace. His hands fell limply to his sides and Grace seemed to find a particular spot in the distant corner of the club interesting. 

“I’m going to go the restroom.” She told him suddenly before immediately walking out of the sectioned off room, not knowing what else to say or do. Pedro watched her leave, never feeling more confused than he did in that moment because he knew that it was going be impossible to ignore the attraction he held for Grace as well as the budding feelings. He briefly thought that it might’ve been a bad idea asking her to go out with him earlier. Pedro had asked her as a friend but this certainly didn’t feel like they were just friends. As if he had forgotten something Pedro looked down at himself before catching the sight of his bulge. He groaned completely frustrated with himself and lack of self-control.

“Fuck!”

 

Grace was walking down the hallways of the second floor feeling terrified which she hadn’t expected to feel at all tonight. She had left Pedro back in the room by himself and Grace felt a bit bad about leaving like that but she had needed to get out of there. Especially after the two of them were practically dancing like… that… well, Grace didn’t know what else to do. It was a situation she didn’t think she would be in and especially with a new costar. Seriously, Grace! She told herself. It’s like your past has taught you nothing. Remember Tom? Aaron? James? Obviously it’s just trouble getting involved with costars like that. 

If Grace hadn’t been sure whether or not Pedro was attracted to her than she was sure now. She had definitely felt his arousal during the dance but he was a man to be fair. It might’ve just been a reaction because their dancing really wasn’t innocent in the least bit. Grace, however, knew that she couldn’t deny the attraction she had for Pedro. Him in all his immaturity and goofiness that made him into some sort of man child rather than a regular forty one year old man. Pedro with his dark and handsome looks that seemed to enrapture Grace every time she saw him which was only three separate times. Grace knew that she walking into very dangerous waters even more so since she hadn’t known the man for long at all. 

Grace told herself that she was only attracted to Pedro’s looks which was completely reasonable. She was sure many women were attracted to him although the idea made her slightly jealous. Grace cursed at herself because she didn’t have any sort of a claim to a man she barely knew. She needed to snap out of this boy crazed phase and focus on her work which was going to start tomorrow. Yes… that was exactly what she needed to do. Once she got back to work then Pedro would probably become one of the last things on her mind. Somewhere deep down Grace knew how ridiculous that sounded because Pedro was going to be around her a lot more now but she ignored that logic. She had to get through this without making another mess of things. Pedro wouldn’t become another mistake like Tom. He was a good guy and she refused to let that happen. 

“Grace?!” Grace was brought out of her deep contemplation and turned around at the sound of her name. It was then that she was met with a sight that threw out any thought of Pedro from her mind. Her eyes widened in surprise and a little bit of fear if she were being honest. Selena Gomez stared at Grace Gallagher with a look of bewilderment on her face while she analyzed the taller actress. Grace felt anxiousness come over her as she desperately tried to find a way to escape but came up empty. There was no way to escape the situation that she had been dreading for the past two months. 

“Hey, Selena.” Grace greeted weakly. The brunette narrowed her eyes at the nervous looking blonde. 

“Yeah… um, where the hell have you been?!” Grace looked around, afraid that someone might overhear them but everyone was too preoccupied with Rihanna to pay them any attention.

“Um… nowhere really.” Selena glared at Grace’s lame excuse of an answer.

“Really? Nowhere? Well, that’s interesting because I’ve texted you like a thousand times with no response. In fact, everyone’s been texting you but no one seems to be able to get a hold of you.” Selena told her, looking absolutely livid.

“Look, I’m sorry. I’ve just been busy with things. I just moved to New York, I had a press tour, and now I’m filming something.” Selena scoffed.

“Give me a break, Grace.” Selena’s expression then softened. “I know that you’ve been though a lot… I’ll admit what Taylor did was really shitty and unforgivable but your friends have been worried about you.” Grace sighed, looking everywhere but Selena.

“I told you I was busy.” Selena rested her hand on Grace’s shoulder comfortingly. 

“Grace, please don’t push us away. Cara, Ed, and Ellie have been especially worried about you and I’ve heard that you haven’t even been speaking to Emma or Ryan.” 

“I need time alone.” Grace told her firmly but Selena just shook her head.

“No, you need your friends.” Selena replied and Grace sighed heavily.

“Selena, I’m not going to ask any of you to pick sides but I can’t be around Taylor or anyone associated with her anymore. It’s just too awkward and complicated.” Grace explained to Selena who had a sad expression on her face. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad or anything but I don’t want anything to do with her. It’s nothing against any of you. She was friends with you way longer than I was so don’t feel guilty or anything.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Selena told her, tearing welling up in her eyes. Grace felt her own tears brimming her eyes as she fought to keep them at bay. “Is it really so bad for you if you can’t even be around your friends?”

“It’s painful.” Grace stressed. Selena nodding, a couple of tears falling from her eyes and Grace felt sick for causing that kind of grief. 

“No, I understand.” Selena smiled through the tears although it was a weak smile. “For what it’s worth I really want to kick Tom in the balls every time I see him.” Grace laughed at the petite brunette’s remark. 

“Thank you.” They stared at each other for a moment quietly before Selena spoke.

“Can I at least have a hug?” Grace nodded and allowed the famous singer to wrap her arms around her. She returned the favor and gently patted Selena’s back in comfort. They pulled away from each other with sad expressions on each of their faces.

“How’s my makeup?” Selena asked causing Grace to wipe away a tear on Selena’s face before smiling and nodding.

“You look great. How about me?” Selena nodded with a smile as well.

“You look beautiful.” With another nod to each other the two young women parted ways. Selena heading back to her sectioned off room and Grace heading back to Pedro. Both of them didn’t feel much better after their encounter but they knew it was for the best. Imagine Grace hanging out with Selena and the awkwardness that would ensue when she would almost mention something about Taylor and Tom. It was too difficult of a situation to be in so Grace made it easier for everyone. The circumstance felt more like a divorce with Taylor than it did with Tom. Yes, she would miss all the friends she made though Tom like Benedict and Chris but the friends she made though Taylor she knew for a lot longer. It felt like she had two divorces and not just one. The only positive thing about it was that it put the attraction and feelings for Pedro out of her mind. 

Pedro had expected things to be awkward when Grace returned to the tent but he was proven wrong. It was almost like nothing had happened at all. In fact, Grace seemed as though she had something else on her mind because she seemed distracted. They spent the rest of their time at the club pretending as though the intimate dance had never occurred. Grace and Pedro watched the remainder of Rihanna’s concert from the balcony unmoving, refraining from anymore dancing which was probably a good thing seeing as what happened last time. Once the concert was over they decided that it was about time to leave so Grace contacted an Uber driver for them.

“Are you okay?” Pedro asked, a little concerned for her since she had been acting differently ever since she returned from the restroom. Grace nodded and smiled softly at him. They were in the car on the way back to the hotel only this time the Uber driver didn’t seem to recognize them at all.

“I’m fine, just a little tired. I can’t wait to get back to the hotel room and go to bed. We have a big day ahead of ourselves tomorrow.” Pedro dropped the subject at her answer and nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, tomorrow is going to be a long day.” He replied.

“Did you have fun tonight?” Grace asked and Pedro nodded.

“Yes. Thanks for bring me by the way. You really didn’t have to.” Grace shrugged, her eyes looking a bit more tired than they had before. It was probably best that they had left when they did even though the club was emptying out anyways. It was nearly two in the morning and both Grace and Pedro had to be at the studios by at least nine.

“It was the least I could do. You’ve managed to do what no other person has done before.” Pedro gave her an amused smile.

“And what is that?”

“Make me have fun of course.” Grace told him before looking out the window to the deserted LA streets. You could really see the difference between LA and New York there. Pedro looked at her with a puzzled expression because for the life of him he just couldn’t figure her out. He liked to think that he could guess what a lot of people were thinking but Grace seemed to be the exception to that. Pedro had told himself before that it was going to be a long four months but now he was certain that it was going to be a long four months he was going to enjoy.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace feels uncomfortable during her first day on set but Pedro comforts her.

Grace had never been friends with someone Pedro’s age before. Well… That may not have been completely true since she had been friends with Benedict but that was different. Benedict had been friends with Tom first so the ‘Sherlock’ actor was sort of a package deal. Grace had also spent a lot of time around older people while working on film sets but her new found friendship with Pedro was still different. Pedro was different from Benedict just from the fact that Grace never spent any time around Benedict with just the two of them present and no one else. Grace honestly didn’t feel the age difference between her and Pedro. She wasn’t exactly sure why. Maybe it was because Pedro acted a lot younger than his age or maybe because Grace acted much older than her own age. It could’ve been both but Grace knew that her newfound friendship might be good for her. She had been cautious about getting involved with other celebrities but Pedro had seemed genuine and she had a gut feeling that he wouldn’t be trouble for her in that aspect. In an aspect of pure attraction… Now that was what had Grace worried about Pedro and any time spent with him especially since last night. Grace knew that it would probably be safer if they didn’t spend any time alone but it would be nearly impossible seeing as they would have to rehearse their scripts together in the upcoming weeks. 

She wasn’t really hungover from the night before since she only had a couple of glasses to drink but it was still more than usual. If she remembered correctly then she was sure that Pedro probably had way more to drink then she did. There was something different about him that was quite different than herself. He seemed to enjoy the life of the party and live his life carefree which was a foreign concept to Grace. She couldn’t help but compare it to how Tom was. Tom always loved leaving parties early and substituting a night out for a night in with a cup of tea and a show on Netflix. Pedro almost seemed childlike in his excitement for adventure and going out. She remembered the way his face lit up in excitement when he found out what club they were going to. Grace steered herself away from any thoughts of last night because she knew that she had to remain professional with Pedro or at least on a friends basis. She couldn’t afford more drama in her life.

Grace was always a morning person especially when it involved her work. Grace was just happy to be back to work after such a long time away from film sets. Her hotel room was situated with a small kitchen so she made herself a cup of Earl Grey tea to help her in her morning routine before leaving her room. She was dressed in a black A-line skirt with a blue dragon fly pattern covering the vintage looking skirt. Her sleeveless blouse was a pristine pale color with black buttons and a black collar. It was way too warm for tights that she would’ve paired it with in London so Grace instead opted for no tights and paired off the outfit with a pair of peep toes flats with a cupcake theme on them. It was the iconic Grace Gallagher style that got so much attention from fashion magazines with her vintage and odd style. She applied minimal make-up and put her hair in her favorite French braid style. 

Grace was all set to go so she left the hotel room with Ash on his leash. The blonde paused momentarily outside Pedro’s room but she decided to leave him in peace. He was probably sleeping off a hangover and Grace honestly didn’t know how to face him after last night. Pedro didn’t have to be at the set for a couple of hours anyways so there was really no point. The movie studios sent her a car to take her to the film set which she was grateful for. Grace had a meeting with Baz about the scheduled film shoot at the palace in Monaco as well as her duties on set as a producer. It was Grace’s first job as producer and she was a little nervous but she was assured by others that it was well worth producing a film. You had much more say in the film making process.

The studios were being very accommodating to Grace seeing as how they were letting her bring her dog to set. She figured that once you got to a certain level in stardom there wasn’t much they didn’t let you do. Bringing her dog was the only thing she really preferred doing when taking advantage of her fame. The car picked her up just outside the doors and they were off to the studio in little to no time at all. There was a bit of traffic on the way but the studio wasn’t that far away. 

“Grace!” A voice called out as she entered one of the conference rooms in the studio. Grace had decided to release Ash from his leash once they were inside the building. He tended to follow her everywhere she went anyways. She looked up and locked eyes with Baz who looked very happy to see her. Grace smiled in response. 

“Hello, Baz.” Grace greeted.

“Did you and Pascal have a nice flight yesterday? I hear that the studio sent you guys here on a private plane.” The Australian actor inquired conversationally. She noticed that some of the other producers were in the room including George Clooney who she hadn’t seen since the premiere of ‘The Descendants’. 

“Yes, it was quite kind of them. Pedro seemed to enjoy the flight immensely.” Baz smiled. 

“I’m sure Pascal enjoyed himself. I hope he hasn’t scared you off or anything… The guy seems pretty wild. It was brought to my attention that you two have already met up about the script.” Grace blushed. 

“Pedro’s been quite nice to me.” Baz smirked at Grace’s politeness but he had been a little concerned with how the blonde actress and Latino actor would get along. He knew Grace for quite a while so he was familiar with her kind and quiet nature. Pedro, on the other hand, was a bit of a wild card with his vulgar humor and charming ways. Baz had been afraid that the two would clash but fortunately Grace hadn’t seemed disturbed by the mere thought of the older actor. The award winning director was glad for that. 

“I’m glad to hear that, Grace.” Baz led her to the large table where all the other producers were sitting around. He gestured for her to take a seat next to George who smiled at her in greeting. Grace returned his smile in response before taking a look at the scheduled shoots for the next couple of months of filming. 

“Now that everyone’s here I guess we should discuss the matter in Monaco.” Baz glanced at Grace. “Grace, I take it that everything is set for Monaco?” Grace blushed in shyness as everyone turned their attention to her. George gave her an encouraging smile before she spoke. 

“Yes, the palace is set for shooting during September 15th through September 30th .” She confirmed as she looked to every person in the room. “If we finish shooting here in LA on time then we should be able to make it to Monaco on schedule and even if we don’t we can always come back during reshoots.” 

“Sounds good. When we finish up in Monaco we’ll end production in Pennsylvania then next summer we’ll return for reshoots. What kind of accommodations will we have in Monaco by the way, Grace?” Baz inquired.

“Well, Prince Albert has offered to have the producers, actors, and you put up in the palace for our stay in Monte Carlo and the studio is paying for the rest of the crew members to stay at a hotel in the city.” Grace tended to call her Uncle by his official title in public but it was instilled in her from a young age. She was raised with such formalities. “There are of course certain areas that are prohibited from filming but I’ve already emailed everyone the map highlighting the areas where we’re allowed to film.” 

“Great, thank you, I don’t think I’ve stayed in a palace before. Should be interesting… Tell your uncle I said thank you.” Baz responded and Grace blushed. 

“No problem.” Grace said and she knew that she would probably have to have a talk with everyone about royal etiquette but that could wait. They still had a month and a half before production would move to Monaco. 

“Now we’ll move onto the budget.” Baz said and they continued the conversation regarding the production of the film. The meeting must’ve lasted a couple of hours as they burned through topics like budget, schedules of actors, and the timeline of filming. Meetings like these may have previously bored Grace but now it was a much needed distraction. She definitely felt more important in the film making process as she was allowed to give her own input and opinion over the production. It was odd being in the producer role of things but Grace could tell that it would be easy getting into it. The meeting soon ended and most of the producers filed out of the conference room. The table reading was scheduled to start in about fifteen minutes so Grace, Baz, and George remained in the room and waited for the other actors to show up. A couple of assistants brought them coffee and a cup of tea for Grace in the meantime. She never really liked the taste of coffee anyways, the taste was a little too bitter for her liking. Baz quickly left the room to catch up with a producer who had already left. Something about forgetting to ask them about a problem with the costume department. George then focused his attention on Grace.

“It’s been a long time, Grace.” George said and Grace smiled politely.

“It has, George, how is everything? I heard you got married… A congratulations is in order I suppose.” Grace told him. George grinned as his wife came up into the conversation.

“Thanks… Yeah, finally got tied down although I really don’t know how. Amal is way too smart for me so I haven’t the slightest what she’s doing with an idiot like me.” Grace laughed.

“Oh but you have such a pretty face, George. I guess you’re arm candy material now.” He laughed. 

“I guess I am.” His smile faded as he remembered all the headlines in the news about Grace and her previous marital problems. “I was sorry to hear about you and Tom, Grace.” Grace’s smile was replaced with a sad one. She knew that she would probably be hearing this a lot during filming since she knew George and Tom knew Robert. Grace was a bit scared about spending time with Robert since a paranoid part of her was convinced that he was going to spy on her for Tom. It was probably ridiculous but Grace was still terrified at the possibility. 

“Well, some things don’t work out I suppose. You know how difficult this job is and especially when the other person has the same job. Conflicting schedules can really tear a marriage apart.” Grace told him and it was the line she had rehearsed so many times in front of the mirror. It was a total lie but Grace could never tell anyone the truth. Everyone knew the truth about the newest Hollywood love triangle but that was only half of it. No one knew the other half of her failed marriage and Grace wanted to keep it that way. George gave her an understanding look. 

“Of course. Grace, just know that if you ever need anything then don’t hesitate to ask… Okay?” Grace smiled but she already knew that she would never take him up on that offer. She preferred to just keep her business to herself rather than dropping her problems onto other people’s laps.

“Thank you, George.” He smiled.

“Don’t mention it, Kiddo.” George looked her over for a moment before laughing in what sounded like amusement. “God, you’ve grown up. How old were you the last time I saw you?” She smiled.

“I think I was twenty.” George shook his head.

“I think I realized just how old I am.” They both laughed and the conversation turned to remembering their filming in Hawaii. Grace was glad for the change in subject and the two spent the rest of their time talking before the other actors started showing up. It didn’t take long before everyone got acquainted with each other. Lily Colins seemed very down to earth and kind so Grace knew that she would have no problem getting along with her. She chatted with Anthony Hopkins a little and she could tell he didn’t remember her from those times on the red carpet and Grace couldn’t have been more thankful. Her reunion with Robert had gone really good with the older actor joking around as usual and he didn’t even bring up Tom. Some small part actors were also there and Grace mingled with them as well. She had almost forgotten than one very important actor was missing until he finally arrived. Grace was chatting with Robert again when she felt a pair of hands cover her eyes and she blushed because she exactly who it was. 

“Guess who?” The deep voice whispered into her ear and she was suddenly reminded of the night before. The close proximity of her and Pedro as they danced to a Rihanna song. There it was again… That insane attraction she seemed to have towards Pedro. Trying to avoid her attraction to Pedro? Yeah that was seemingly not going to happen in the near future. 

“Um… Blake Shelton?” She inquired and Pedro removed his hands from her before letting out a huff of annoyance. 

“No, I’m way better looking.” Grace frowned as Pedro walked around to face her. 

“That’s rude. I happen to think Blake Shelton is very charming.” Pedro wasn’t sure whether or not to be troubled by that piece of information. He knew that Grace could probably have her choice of men and maybe even Blake Shelton if he was single.

“I’m starting to question your taste… You could’ve said hello last night. I think he was at the club with his girlfriend although she’d probably whack you over the head for trying to steal her man.” Grace playfully glared at him. 

“I would never do such a thing and it would’ve been weird if I just fangirled over the two of them at a Rihanna concert.” They laughed and it was as if the two of them were in their own little world until they were led back to reality when they heard Robert clear his throat. She swallowed nervously as noticed the slightly suspicious look in the older actor’s eyes. Her and Pedro’s close proximity must have looked off when they only knew each other for about a week. Grace forced a smile on her face as she looked back to Robert.

“I’ve been so rude. Sorry, Robert… This is Pedro by the way. Pedro this is Robert.” She introduced and the two shook his hands cordially although it took a moment before Robert’s eyes finally left Grace. 

“I’m such a huge fan of yours, I can’t even begin to describe.” Pedro boosted as he shook Robert’s hand and the Iron Man actor smiled. 

“Thanks and I’m a big fan of ‘Game of Thrones’.” Pedro seemed more than excited to be meeting Robert but Grace could tell that Robert had stiffened quite a bit. This caused Grace to worry more over the fact whether or not Robert was spying on her for Tom. She tried to dismiss that suspicion as being stupid because Robert was a husband and father… Why would he waste his time getting into her and Tom’s personal business. Grace told herself that he probably just felt awkward around her since he was friends with Tom and that was it. Either way Grace knew that she had to be careful whilst on set. Pedro and Robert then broke into a casual conversation in which Grace joined in on as she forced another smile onto her face. Robert soon excused himself when he saw George waving him over, leaving Pedro and Grace alone. Pedro gave her an odd look which led her to believe that he had probably seen the lingering look she gave Robert. 

“What’s up?” Grace was broken out of her paranoia by his random question. She tore her gaze away from Robert and George, meeting Pedro’s concerned eyes. Why did his eyes look so lovely when he looked concerned?

“What?” Pedro gave her a serious look. 

“You know what… What’s with the weird looks between you and Robert. Did you hit his car or something?” Grace laughed nervously.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Pedro gave her a look and Grace relented with a sigh. “Fine… He’s a friend of my ex okay?” Pedro gave her a bewildered look. It was odd hearing about a costar’s personal life all across the news but it was weirder when a costar acknowledged that news. It was a bit like being on the inside. 

“Your ex?” She gave him a look before looking around the room to spot if there were any eavesdroppers but there were none. You’d think her life was like a spy movie or something.

“Lower your voice please.” She spoke to him softly. Pedro then wondered if her life was really that bad? Was her life so bad that she couldn’t trust anyone around her? She seemed to trust him enough if she was going to divulge something about her private life to him. Pedro had to make sure that he wouldn’t do anything to betray that kind of trust. 

“I just feel weird around him because he’s friends with my ex and I think the feeling is mutual.” Grace told him whilst casting another look in Robert’s direction. 

“Do you think he’s going to spy on you or something?” Grace blushed because it sounded even more ridiculous coming out of Pedro’s mouth. 

“I don’t know… I know it sounds stupid but my ex and his… Well, his girlfriend have been pretty adamant about getting my attention. You should really see my inbox.” Pedro raised a brow. 

“Why? You’re divorced, aren’t you? Do they want something from you?” Pedro really hoped that the media hadn’t been making up the divorce of Grace Gallagher and Tom Hiddleston. He knew that it shouldn’t have mattered to him whether or not she was divorced but his attraction towards the blonde actress told him otherwise. Grace sighed.

“They want to make amends.” Pedro gave her a look of disbelief.

“Amends?” He repeated as though he might have misheard Grace.

“Yes… I used to be friends with his girlfriend for a very long time and I guess she feels bad or something. She wants to be friends again apparently. My ex and I didn’t exactly part on good terms so I’m guessing he’s just following her lead.” Pedro scoffed.

“That’s insane.” Grace shrugged.

“Well, that’s Hollywood I guess. Anyways, my point is that I’m just really paranoid right now. I don’t think I’m at a point where I can face them yet and I’ve been paranoid about the whole thing. Seeing Robert has just really freaked me out about it.” Pedro stared at the worried looking Brit. He could tell that this was something that was really troubling her. It must have been hard trying move on yet having your past constantly shoved in your face.

“I’m sorry, this must be really difficult… the media that is.” Grace bit her lip.

“It was never that bad for me before but considering the people involved… Well, the media is having a field day with this whole thing. I signed the papers like two months ago but it still hasn’t really let up.” Pedro suddenly wanted to hold Grace in his arms and not let go. She looked so vulnerable and worried in that exact moment. 

“Maybe we can go out for some lunch today… To get your mind off things. I mean as friends of course.” Grace smiled but it seemed a little forced.

“The reason I wanted to tell you all of this is because I don’t want to get you in trouble or anything.” Pedro looked confused so Grace continued. “It probably wasn’t really smart for us to go out last night like that. I just want to be honest and upfront about this to you… I’m really complicated right now and I don’t want to drag anyone down with me. I’d like to think that we’re friends but the media won’t see it that way. They’ll make up anything they want about us and I wouldn’t want you to have to deal with something like that.” 

Pedro was left in a confused and trouble state as Grace finished up her little speech. He knew that the media had always followed the blonde around. She was a very famous actress who had been in a relationship with a famous actor for a long time. Not to mention the fact that Grace had also been best friends with one of the most famous popstars in the world. Grace attracted quite a bit of attention to herself but Pedro hadn’t given her whole issue with the media much thought. He really liked to be around her because, despite her time spent in the industry, she still had something innocent and kind about her. She was a genuine person and that was hard to find. There was also the fact that he was really attracted to her even though he really tried to shove those newfound feelings aside. 

“I don’t really care about any of that.” Grace narrowed her blue eyes at him. Pedro wanted to laugh at her attempt at looking intimidating. Her intimidating demeanor looked rather cute to the Latino actor. 

“You should care because it would be your reputation on the line. If you’re seen with me in public than it would be hard for a lot of people to take you seriously as an actor.”

“Then we’ll avoid the public eye. Let’s watch a move tonight in yours or my hotel room and order room service.” He suggested and Grace starred at him incredulously. Did his career not matter to him? She knew she should’ve turned him down so that she could avoid him but for some reason she just couldn’t find it in herself to do so. 

“As friends.” Pedro smiled at her answer. He felt a sensation of excitement and happiness come over him as he stared at the slightly shorter blonde. 

“Of course.” Grace smiled in response before deciding to change the subject.

“Let’s go over there. I’m sure George is probably furious with me for not already introducing you two.” 

It was about half an hour after all the actors got acquainted when Baz decided to start the table read. Baz, of course, narrated the script whilst all the actors spoke their lines. Grace had only read her lines with Pedro the day before so she was a little nervous to be reading with actors like Robert and Lily who she had never previously worked with. It was a little awkward between her and Robert because not only was he friends with her ex but she also shared a couple of romantic scenes with him. Apparently Baz was going to include Grace Kelly’s experience on the set of ‘Mogambo’… As if this situation wasn’t already awkward enough. It finally came time for her and Pedro to read lines and the older actor gave her a comforting smile before Baz set up the scene. 

“Grace and Prince Rainier take a turn through the palace’s gardens. The weather in Monte Carlo was warm with a nice ocean breeze. Grace glanced at the Prince from the corner of her eye, a small smirk on her face.” That was Grace’s que to start reading her lines.

“You know I had half a mind to not even come.” Grace read and Pedro started to read his lines in response. 

“That would’ve been very rude of you, Miss Kelly.” 

“I think it would’ve been in my right not to show up after all the cancellations you made time after time.” Grace had to admit to the weirdness of all of this. It finally dawned on her that she was portraying her grandmother in a film and that was beyond weird. 

“Some of us don’t have the luxury of traveling to far away countries for photo shoots. Some people have real jobs.” Grace gave him an offended look. 

“And being a Prince of a figure headed monarchy is a real job?” Pedro gave her an incredulous look. 

“If this was three centuries ago I could your head for that.” Grace shot him a doubtful look.

“I think you’ve mistaken Monaco for Medieval England.” Pedro chuckled as he was instructed by the script.

“You’re quite bold, aren’t you? I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman like you, Miss Kelly.” Grace smirked at Pedro with a certain twinkle in her eyes.

“It’s Grace and there are no women like me.” Grace and Pedro’s scene wrapped up so Baz continued his narration onto the next one but a lot of the other actors were still caught up in the scene that Grace and Pedro just performed. The chemistry between the two actors was undeniable and everyone in the room felt the connection between them. Maybe that was what made Grace Gallagher such a good actress… She had such an incredible, intense chemistry with Ryan Gosling that made everyone believe in them as a couple yet there was really nothing there. It almost felt like the other actors were intruding on a private, intimate moment between Grace and Pedro. 

A certain Marvel actor looked between the two actors with a curious expression on his face but looked away as he continued to read the script. To be honest Robert didn’t have any ill intentions towards Grace but he could tell she was uncomfortable by the way she was acting around him. He didn’t really blame her anyways because he had been through a divorce before and it always lost you friends in the end. Although his divorce hadn’t been as high profile as Grace and Tom’s divorce was.  
Robert had been Tom’s friend for a few years since filming the first Avengers film. The guy was really nice and sort of goofy but was an extremely talented actor. Robert kind of felt like it was his responsibility to take Tom under his wing. That being said… Robert had met Grace numerous times during the filming of that movie all those years ago but was never sure what to make of her. She seemed very kind but remained closed off which he summed up as being because she was a quiet and shy person. Grace Gallagher had always been a mysterious character to him especially when she was with Tom. He could never tell whether she was genuinely happy with Tom or not. Her smiles always seemed good natured and warm but her eyes told a different story. Tom always made sure to have Grace on his arm and he looked upon her like you would look at a trophy or prize. Robert never thought the relationship would last because of that and yet it did. He wasn’t too surprised to hear about their divorce although he was rather disappointed to hear how Tom handled the aftermath seeing as how he got involved with some popstar. 

The older actor was also very surprised to see this different side of Grace. He expected her to be more aloof or even sad but he couldn’t get a good read on her… At least not until Pedro Pascal showed up. The blonde actress’s face practically lit up at the sight of him. He thought it was an interesting turn of events especially as he observed the two of them for the remainder of the afternoon. The two costars practically remained glued together, not really letting anyone else in on their conversation. His suspicions were confirmed when he witnessed the undeniable chemistry between the two as they rehearsed their scene together for the first time. A huge part of him was a little disappointed because he had been hoping that Tom would snap out of his early midlife crisis and go back to Grace, begging for forgiveness. 

Unfortunately that most likely wasn’t going to be the case in this circumstance especially not with Grace going all googly eyes for The Red Viper over there. He supposed that Tom really did fuck himself over on that one because not only did Grace seem very interested in Pedro but the older actor seemed to reciprocate those feelings. Pedro looked at Grace with something akin to adoration and intrigue which was different from how Tom would look at her. The British actor always stared at her with admiration and disbelief which Robert had summed up as him being stuck on the image of Grace Kelly. Tom had Grace Kelly’s nearly identical looking twin and that was what drew him to her. 

Robert didn’t know Pedro enough to determine what his intentions were with Grace but he knew that he made her laugh and smile which was a rare sight when she was with Tom. He had never seen the blonde look so carefree… So her age. Even if all that was between the two was just friendship, he knew that it would be good for Grace. He only hoped that Tom hadn’t completely ruined her because what Tom did was unforgivable.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace and Pedro have a movie night and Grace opens up to him. Pedro also has a stunning revelation about Grace.

Grace was starting to doubt herself as she waited anxiously by her hotel room door. Ash stared at her from his place on the floor of the living room. He probably thought she was the most insane human and that was okay because she thought the same thing. She was now dressed in a pair of galaxy printed leggings and a gray knit sweater that hung loosely over her small frame. Her hair was down from its French braid and was in a more wavy state than usual because of the braid. Grace started second guessing her outfit but then she realized she was being stupid. She couldn’t believe how nervous she was feeling as she waited for Pedro to arrive. It was almost like she was going on a date or something which Grace had just begun to realize would be the first in many years. The last time she had a first date was with Tom and that was over six years ago. Not that this was a date or anything but what she was feeling was that same giddiness. 

Time and time again, she just kept telling herself that it was unbelievably wrong of her to have these sort of feelings for Pedro. The rational Grace would tell her how insane she was acting. Because, for one, Pedro was way older than her and two… Well, she had only known him for a week. There was also the fact that she was still healing from several other things in her past and she had no business dragging some other poor fellow into the mess that was her life. It wasn’t like Pedro would have any interest in her anyways. He was significantly older than her and he also probably had his share of more experienced women who weren’t nearly as damaged as she was even if they were older. 

Still… Rational Grace had even told her that Tom would be good for her. The rational Grace convinced her that it would be safe to trust Tom with her heart because Tom couldn’t hurt a fly. She completely thought Tom was the right one which is why she married him but she was so wrong. Maybe they could’ve lasted longer if they hadn’t suffered so much. Grace bit the inside of her cheek at the thought, a stray tear falling from her eye as her mind suddenly started to go back to the horrors of her past… Horrors that went way beyond a friend stealing away her husband. She quickly wiped the tear from her eye and forced herself away from such thoughts. No, her and Tom just weren’t strong enough. 

She was brought out of her thoughts by a knock on the door and Grace immediately snapped out of her stupor. Grace ran a hand through her hair, trying to make herself look more presentable even though this was supposed to just be a quiet night in amongst two new friends. She opened the door only to reveal Pedro which quickly made her forget any thoughts about Tom or her past. He was dressed the same as before, casually in a pair of jeans and t-shirt but her favorite part about his appearance was his hair which looked disheveled. He looked extremely cute with his hair sticking up in almost every direction. Pedro grinned at the sight of the blonde standing in the doorway of her hotel room. He marveled at the fact that she could look glamourous no matter where she was or what she wore. Grace stood there in her hotel suite with her make-up gone and her hair out of its intricate braid but she still looked like royalty. Pedro wasn’t sure what he had thought until he had thought it and even he had to admit it was pretty ironic. 

“Hey, you made it.” Grace greeted with her charismatic smile. Pedro was delighted to see that it was one of her more genuine smiles. He had spent enough time around her to recognize when her smile was forced or not. 

“Of course… I said I would come, didn’t I? I brought a bottle of wine for us.” He told her, holding up a bottle of wine. 

“Please, come in.” Pedro glanced around the room out of curiosity before stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. It wasn’t much different than his own room but as he walked inside the room Grace’s dog immediately went up to him. He chuckled as the German Shepard sniffed him before nearly ambushing him while placing his paws on Pedro’s chest. 

“Ash, get off Pedro. You know that you’re not supposed to attack our guests.” Ash glanced back at his owner before reluctantly getting off Pedro. “I’m so sorry. He’s not usually like this with people he barely knows. Ash must really like you.”

“It’s fine. He’s a funny little dog.” Grace raised a brow.

“Little? He’s the size of a pony.” Pedro laughed. “So how are you feeling after the big day?” He inquired and Grace shrugged. 

“It was fine… better than I thought it would be but it wasn’t terrible either.” She looked a little uncomfortable from the question as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Pedro thought it would be best not to mention Robert since she seemed very reluctant to tell him about her dilemma even earlier. 

“You were amazing today during the table read. I think I saw some jaws actually drop.” Grace blushed from the compliment and Pedro was delighted from the rosy flush that came over her pale ivory skin. 

“Well, you were very good too. You really impressed George and that’s a hard task to accomplish. He has an ego the size of this planet.” Grace took a seat on the couch in the living room area before patting the seat beside her, gesturing for Pedro to join her and he did so without any thought. He relaxed on the couch with a sigh, placing an arm around the back of couch, noticeably close to Grace. She suddenly felt an odd fluttering the pit of her stomach at his closeness but it must have been normal for Pedro, given how care free he seemed. 

“I never even thought that I would meet George Clooney let alone star in a movie with him.” Grace smiled at his awe. It was rare to see a lot of actors still in awe of their surroundings and success. Most of them seemed accustomed to it. “I probably sound like a huge dork to you. You’ve starred in movies with a lot of amazing people.” Grace shook her head.

“No, not at all. I admit that I was also very in awe of Mr. Clooney when I first met him but don’t worry… The charm fades off with time. In a week’s time you’ll probably be wishing that Brad Pitt had been casted instead.” She joked and Pedro smirked but Grace continued. “This world is still one that I have yet to become used to. I doubt that I ever will.” Somehow Grace Gallagher became even more interesting to Pedro. She was an actress who had a decade worth of experience in making blockbuster films but she still seemed grounded and down to earth. It was obvious that she didn’t take any of it for granted and Pedro really admired her for that. 

“Name one person you’ve worked with that you flipped out the most over.” Pedro said and Grace laughed at his demand. People asked her that during interviews but she was always polite and answered that she was delighted to work with every single one of the people she worked with. However, there didn’t seem to be any interviewers at the moment nor was her publicist there. Grace gave the idea some thought before answering but she already knew the answer.

“Colin Firth.” She finally said and Pedro looked a bit surprised. He honestly thought she was going to say Cate Blanchett or Maggie Smith. He was still amazed at how almost every time he talked to Grace, she still managed to surprise him with something she said. 

“I didn’t know you worked with Colin. I’ve previously worked with him on the new ‘Kingsman’ movie myself. He’s a nice guy.” Grace grinned and nodded. He could tell that she was exceptionally proud of her film with Colin Firth just by the look in her eyes.

“We did a Woody Allen film a couple of years ago. I played his love interest.” Pedro raised a brow because while he had never seen the movie, he knew there was a pretty significant age gap between Grace and Colin. Colin was probably old enough to play her father and that was when he came to a stunning revelation. Could he also be old enough to be Grace’s father? He knew that one of his cousins had given birth to her child when she was only sixteen. How old was Grace’s father? Was he closer to Pedro’s age or was he considerably older? For the past several days he had been having very conflicting feelings for Grace. He knew that he was very interested in her and that he was also attracted to her or so he felt during their dance the night before. Was it wrong for him to be attracted to someone so much younger than himself? It was a confusing thought for him since it was easy to forget how old Grace was but the truth was that there was an age gap between them.

“That’s quite an age difference there.” Pedro commented, repeating his thoughts. 

“I know but I was such a fan of his and it was always a secret dream of mine to kiss Mr. Darcy. As much as I love Keira Knightley that ‘Pride and Prejudice’ film will never be what the Colin Firth one was to me. Colin Firth will always be my Mr. Darcy.” She glanced at Pedro to see what he thought of her statement but he just looked curious and thoughtful. “Have you ever seen ‘Pride and Prejudice’?”

“I think I’ve seen part of the Keira Knightley one but I’ve never seen the one with Colin in it.” 

“You should it’s my favorite of all of his past work.” A sad smile made its way onto her face as she remembered something else. “My mother and I used to watch ‘Pride and Prejudice’ all the time. Well, we also watched ‘Bridget Jones’ and ‘Love Actually’ too but ‘Pride and Prejudice’ was the one we’d spend all weekend watching. We would have a ‘Pride and Prejudice’ marathon and just watch the entire miniseries in one go.” Pedro smiled because it was really the first time he had seen Grace be so vulnerable and open. 

“I bet she’s proud of you.” Grace’s smile fell off her face.

“She died eleven years ago.” Grace said quietly, her voice barely louder than a whisper. Pedro’s smile vanished and he immediately frowned in concern.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you sad.” She gave him a reassuring smile.

“No, you couldn’t have possibly have known. It was cancer and it was years ago.” Pedro put a comforting hand on her shoulder and was worried that she would shake off his hand for a minute but she didn’t make any move to.

“That doesn’t mean that you can’t still miss her. My mother passed away twenty years ago from cancer and I still miss her every day.” Grace looked at him in surprise because she never would’ve guessed that he too lost a mother. It wasn’t exactly often that she met someone who had also lost a mother let alone to cancer. All her friends still had their mothers and it was something that always made Grace incredibly jealous of them.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Pedro gave her a smile that told her it was okay. “Wow… This turned really dark.” 

“Well, it’s certainly a way to start off a new friendship. Maybe we should also pop open this bottle of wine.” Grace laughed as he held up the bottle of wine.

“Yeah, sure, just let me grab a couple of glasses. I think there’s some in the kitchen.” She then hurried off the couch to grab the glasses and brought them back barely thirty seconds later. Grace set the two glasses on top of the coffee table and Pedro poured them both a glass of wine. “I also ordered some Chinese takeout. I hope that’s alright with you.”

“Chinese sounds great actually. I order take out all the time, you know with being in New York and all.” Grace looked at her curiously.

“Really? You mean you don’t cook?” Pedro gave her a sheepish look.

“I would like to say it’s because I’m so busy but it’s honestly not that. Once I even almost burned down my apartment attempting to scramble some eggs.” Grace laughed at the thought of a distressed looking Pedro putting out a fire in his kitchen. “Do you cook?” 

“When I have time I do so I guess I’ve actually been able to cook a lot these past several months. I took a ton of time off so I kind of experimented with a lot of dishes. My family was starting to get fat so I think that’s why they kicked me out.” Pedro chuckled.

“How long did you take off?” Grace paused to think about that for a moment.

“Well… I wrapped filming ‘La La Land’ about ten months ago. I guess I’ve kind of been on a very long break. I was so glad to return to filming especially since I was going crazy these last couple of months. You really don’t know how many things I’ve dabbled in.” Pedro gave her an amused look.  
“Like what? Did you start taking pottery classes?” Grace laughed but shook her head.

“No… But I did take up knitting and I started taking some ballet classes again.” Pedro raised an eyebrow.

“Again?” Pedro questioned and Grace nodded.

“I used to take ballet lessons when I was younger. From the age of three to thirteen so about ten years but I quit after my mom got sick.” 

“You never got back into it?” Pedro didn’t know why he was so surprised to hear about Grace’s past as a ballerina even if she did quit. Grace had the kind of slender figure to be a ballerina along with all her elegance and well… Grace.

“No, when my mother passed away it had already been years since I had last trained. I also wasn’t really interested in ballet anymore so I think that’s when I became interested in acting.” He nodded in understanding. 

“That must be nice. I can’t dance worth a damn myself.” Grace smirked.

“You do know that we’ll have to dance in the film, don’t you?” Pedro sighed.

“I’ll probably step on your feet or something so please don’t hold it against me. I know Latinos are supposed to be skilled dancers but be aware that’s just a misconceived stereotype.” Grace rolled her eyes but laughed anyways. He really was kind of a dork sometimes.

“Don’t worry about it. Baz is going to set us up with a choreographer for the wedding dance scene and the guy will probably be a classically trained dancer so there’s no need to panic.” 

“That’s easy for you to say but you’ve had plenty of dance lessons with ‘Cinderella’ and ‘La La Land’. Not to mention your secret past as a ballerina.” Pedro told her. 

“Please… The dance scene in ‘Cinderella’ was basically Richard and I trying figure out how to move around an enormous circus tent of a gown. As for ‘La La Land’… I think Ryan was better at the waltz then I ever was. Ballet is quite a different form of dance than anything I’ve ever had to do for films.” Pedro smirked as he thought of something. 

“You know what this movie will mean?” Pedro said with a mischievous smile on his face. Grace gave him an amused smile and decided to humor him.

“No, what?” 

“We’re going to be married.” She rolled her eyes at him.

“Yeah but not in real life. You do know that, right?” 

“Well, I’m excited because I’ve never had a wife before… On screen or off screen.” Grace didn’t why she was delighted to know that he wasn’t married. She probably figured he wasn’t married since he seemed to be spending so much time with her and not a wife but it still filled her with a sense of relief that he wasn’t married. It shouldn’t matter anyways since she shouldn’t be interested in him like that and he could’ve had a girlfriend for all she knew.

“Really? You weren’t married in ‘Game of Thrones’?” Pedro smirked smugly.

“Oberyn had a longtime lover but he never married. Him and his paramour were more of the type to host orgies rather than dinner parties.” Grace blushed, a little embarrassed by his wording.

“That’s nice.” 

“It really was.” They were interrupted by a knock at the door and Grace headed towards the door. She was thankful for the arrival of the food so she could give herself time to get rid of that ridiculous blush on her face. The delivery guy was a nervous looking teenaged boy seeing as how he was escorted by one of the hotel employees. It was mostly for security reasons which was why Grace was thankful for the hotel’s security. The delivery boy handed her the order before Grace gave him the right amount of cash plus his tip. He seemed to recognize her from his slightly reddened face and wide eyes but he didn’t say anything. It must have been because of the hotel employee giving him the stare down. Grace thanked him and he was then rushed off with the hotel employee in tow.

“So what’s on the schedule for tonight?” Pedro asked as Grace brought the food to the coffee table. 

“I thought we could watch a movie on paper view? Is that alright with you?” Pedro didn’t seem put off by the idea as he immediately started digging into the take out.

“Hey, you got the food. Whatever you want to do is fine by me although a movie does sound good.” She smiled before sitting back down beside Pedro. She searched the available options for films before seeing one that she actually hadn’t seen yet. 

“How do you feel about ‘The Nice Guys’?” Grace asked and Pedro raised a brow. “What? Have you already seen it?”

“No but isn’t Gosling your bff? Why haven’t you seen his movie already?” Grace scoffed but she knew Pedro was only kidding.

“I’m sorry but unlike some people, my whole entire world doesn’t revolve around Ryan Gosling. There are a lot of his films that I haven’t seen.” Pedro laughed at Grace’s defensiveness.

“Really? Like what?” Grace shrugged.

“I don’t know… I haven’t seen ‘Half Nelson’, ‘Blue Valentine’, and I also haven’t seen ‘Drive’… Oh and there’s also ‘The Notebook’.” Pedro’s eyes widened in surprise when he heard the last movie title.

“You haven’t seen ‘The Notebook’? I’m a guy and even I’ve seen ‘The Notebook’ a couple of times.” Grace blushed.

I don’t really like Nicholas Sparks films, they’re very sappy and unrealistic.” Pedro couldn’t help but smile at the blonde actress. She looked adorable in her defensive and sheepish state which made him want to laugh. Grace almost seemed apologetic for not being a fan of Nicholas Sparks movies and he knew that it was in her nature to be kind and polite. 

“Did you even know who Ryan Gosling was before you made that film with him?” Grace glared playfully at him. 

“Yes, I did know who he was. I’m a big fan of ‘Lars and the Real Girl’ I’ll have you know.” She then focused her attention back on the television screen. “Now are we going to watch this or not because this film looks hilarious and I love Russell Crowe.” 

“Does Kevin Costner know that you have someone else on the side?” Pedro teased and Grace rolled her eyes again although she did reluctantly let out a soft laugh. Pedro then grew quiet as Grace started the movie so she took that to mean that he was done teasing her for the moment and ready for their movie night. 

The film turned out to be an outrageously hilarious detective story and Grace couldn’t believe Ryan was the funnier one in the film. Grace knew that he had a particularly funny sense of humor in real life but usually he took himself pretty seriously when he was working on a film. She needed to tell him how great she thought he was in the film the next time she saw him… If she ever decided to see him again. Grace knew that seeing her actor friends was inevitable since Hollywood was a very small world. She would have to start the press tour for ‘La La Land’ with Ryan in a few months anyways and then there was award season. She knew it was sort of silly ignoring all her friends like that but Taylor had really destroyed her trust in others. 

It might have seemed a little staged, having so many actor friends but it actually made total sense if you thought about it. When you worked with so many different people on film sets you tended to find a few people you had a lot in common with. Other celebrities often faced the same issues regarding privacy and complicated relationships due to conflicting schedules or popularity. The friends Grace had from her days at private school couldn’t understand her decision to become an actress. They were raised in families that had attended Ivy League schools for generations so when they graduated from school they left for college straight away. Grace tried to keep in contact with them but they just got so busy with school and their new college educated friends. It didn’t take long before they graduated, got jobs at law firms, and then settled down to start a family. It became clear to Grace that her old friends from school didn’t have anything in common with her anymore so she had stuck to her celebrity friends and that was okay with her. Emma had attended college too but she was an odd sort of actress. She was in a sort of in between world of acting and Ivy League education. Bonnie also attended college a year after Emma did and it made Grace feel a little lost.

She had thought about going to college but she had completely fallen in love with film making so she decided to work on more films rather than go to school. Despite Grace’s amount of family and her own wealth, the likelihood of her going to a college like Emma was unlikely. While Grace aced any English and History class she could during school, she really lacked any motivation in her math and science classes. Grace had applied to a few universities, inspired by Emma, but was rejected from them due to her low math scores. Her family compared her to her grandmother who had also apparently been rejected from a couple of universities due to her low math scores. If there was one thing to know about Grace it was the fact that she hated being compared to her grandmother. She had heard it all her life from people who felt that they knew her and she was sick of it. It was either that she looked identical to the late Princess or that she must’ve inherited her grandmother’s incredible acting abilities. Maybe acting was in the genes but that didn’t mean that Grace couldn’t be amazing on her own merit. It was because of all those comparisons why she had even agreed to star in a film about her grandmother. If she gave people what they wanted maybe they would stop seeing her as a dead Hollywood starlet and instead a very much alive English actress.

Taylor had always been supportive of Grace trying to make her own mark in Hollywood rather than trying to continue her grandmother’s legacy. Emma and Bonnie going off to college was probably what pushed Grace into her friendship with Taylor. Her two friends were so busy with their studies that they barely had time for working on films let alone hanging out with Grace who really needed to vent her frustrations to someone following the problems that began to arise in her then relationship with James. Taylor had been that person for her. Grace felt as if the two may have had even more in common with each other with their common interests as well as being the only ones not going to college like all their friends. Ryan came along later into Grace’s world of friendships but it would still be about a year before Grace would meet the Canadian actor. Taylor had been there for Grace in a way that Emma and Bonnie couldn’t and at the time that had meant something to Grace. It was obvious to her now that Taylor hadn’t felt the same way. Grace desperately wanted to know if Taylor hadn’t been a true friend to her since the beginning or something had changed along the way. It wasn’t likely that the English actress would ever find out because she didn’t think that she was ever going to see Taylor again. 

“That movie was hilarious.” Pedro said aloud and Grace was snapped out of her thoughts by his voice. It was then that she noticed that the credits were rolling and she had most likely missed the ending of the movie. Grace took a sip of her second glass of wine and nodded from behind the glass.

“It really was. I wasn’t expecting Ryan to be the funny one if I’m being completely honest.” He raised a brow as he smirked at her.

“Really? Why? Is he boring in real life?” Grace gave Pedro an amused smile as she set her wine glass down on the table.

“No, not at all. He’s actually very funny but when he’s acting… it’s almost like he’s someone else.” Pedro looked at her curiously and noticed that her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. He wondered what the story was there. There had been rumors about Grace and Ryan circulating the media ever since ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ had come out five years prior. The two well-known actors had claimed to be good friends or even partners in film making but that didn’t stop the rumors from coming. Even when Ryan was locked in a committed relationship with Eva Mendes and Grace had gotten married to Tom Hiddleston, the rumors still didn’t stop. Some secretly rooted for their favorite Hollywood couple to get together but others admired their friendship as well as the simple fact that men and women could be friends and only friends. There were some people who even compared Grace and Ryan’s platonic relationship to the famous friendship of Grace Kelly and Cary Grant. 

“Are you two really friends?” Grace raised a brow at him. Pedro was only referring to the fact of if their friendship was real or if it was something that they had to portray for the public but Grace wanted to have some fun.

“Or are we secret lovers you mean to ask?” Pedro’s widened and he began to shake his head furiously but stopped once he saw the smirk on Grace’s face. She was teasing him. 

“You’re a devious little thing, aren’t you?” Grace just shrugged but the amusement on her face didn’t waver for a second. 

“I know that’s not what you meant to ask but Ryan and I are just friends despite what the tabloids suggest. A lot of my friends are actually in the industry, it’s kind of hard to keep in contact with people who live different lives than you.” Pedro nodded.

“No, I completely get it. Most of my friends are all in the entertainment industry as well. I bet your friends are excited for ‘La La Land’, I’ve heard that it’s been getting a lot of Oscar buzz after premiering at the film festival so they must be proud… Your family too of course.” Grace bit her lip nervously as she became suddenly very interested with her hands in her lap. She didn’t know if it was just the wine that caused her to confide in Pedro or if it was the fact that she hadn’t talked to a friend in a long time but she blurted out an admission that she hadn’t even confessed to her family. 

“I haven’t really spoken to any of my friends in months.” She blurted and Pedro gave her a confused look. Grace’s face reddened from her random admission and she cursed herself for saying such a thing to Pedro. Someone, while she liked, but was also almost a complete stranger to her. Maybe that was her problem? Grace felt like she had known Pedro for a lot longer than she actually had so she was probably just more comfortable around him than she should be. “I’m sorry… I don’t know why I just told you that. That’s very personal and you probably think I’m crazy.” 

Pedro stared at the blonde actress and realized something. She was lonely. There was something about her that had seemed off to Pedro but he hadn’t been able to figure it out until now. When they were talking or dancing like back at the club she seemed alright but sometimes Grace would get a lost look in her eyes. It was almost like she was looking past him and whatever she saw gave her great distress. He hadn’t been sure what it was but he knew that part of it had to be her very publicized divorce. 

“No, it’s fine. My mother used to say that if you have something on your chest then it’s best to get it off.” Pedro told her but Grace still seemed unsure. “Look, I know we haven’t known each other long but we’re friends, right?” 

“Yes, but I don’t feel its right to dump my problems on other people.” Pedro rolled his eyes at her stubbornness.

“Come on, don’t be so British. Tell me what’s going on in that pretty little blonde head of yours?” Grace wasn’t sure if it was the concern in those beautiful brown eyes but something in the way he stared at her made her feel as if she could tell him everything. She already she wasn’t going to tell him everything because there still many things she still couldn’t even admit to herself let alone anyone else. 

“Fine but just know that I don’t usually talk about myself.” Pedro’s expression softened and he could tell that whatever was on Grace’s mind had been troubling her for quite some time.

“It’s okay to talk about your problems. Think of it as a bit like a confession to a priest.” That caused Grace to smile a little more.

“No offense but you don’t look very much like a priest.” He chuckled and they were silent for a moment before Grace spoke again. “The truth is that I haven’t talked to any of my friends since I filed for divorce. I haven’t really talked to anyone other than my family since the divorce.” This didn’t help to ease Pedro’s confusion.

“Why?” Grace sighed and looked away from him for a moment before returning her gaze to his bright brown eyes. 

“I don’t really know myself. I know that it sounds a little ridiculous but I feel like I can’t trust any of them anymore. It’s completely stupid especially since they’ve done so much for me but now I find myself questioning everything.” She knew that she was being very vague so she decided against her better judgement to tell Pedro more. Grace hadn’t been this upfront with anyone in a long time and she was a little afraid of what the outcome would be. She finally decided that she had been hurt enough in the past so whatever happened couldn’t be as bad as before. 

“I’m sure you’ve probably heard everything about my personal life in the media anyways.” Pedro nodded but tried to seem nonchalant about the whole ordeal.

“Well, it’s the media after all. You can’t believe everything they say.” Grace laughed without humor.

“They seemed to get most of it right this time. My point is that I was very good friends with someone that I thought I could trust. I let her into every part of my life and I thought of her as almost… a sister of sorts I guess. It became apparent to me over the past few months that she didn’t feel the same way.”

“I’m sorry.” Pedro told her, not knowing what else to say.

“It’s not your fault.” 

“It’s not yours either.” Grace tried to smile at his attempt at comforting her but it came out as more of a grimace.

“You know how I found out about it?” She asked but Pedro didn’t answer because it was an obvious rhetorical question. “Some tabloid headline… The Sun I think it was. I thought it was the media’s attempt at stirring up rumors but then the pictures came out and I just knew. My publicist tried to reassure me that they were probably just photo shopped but I knew otherwise.” She continued telling Pedro about her friendship drama because she knew if she stopped then she might not be able to ever get it off her chest.

“It was then that I remembered something my grandmother said… My dad’s mom of course. She told me a story about how this couple became such good friends with another couple. They spent so much time with each other that it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when the wife and husband from the opposite couples had an affair.” She laughed again, a bitter tone in her laughter. Pedro didn’t favor that bitterness, much preferring her carefree laughter from before. It was in that moment that Pedro decided that he hated Tom Hiddleston and Taylor Swift. He despised them for causing so much pain and suffering in this beautiful, kind, and warm hearted woman’s life. Grace had obviously cared and loved the both of them very much and they completely betrayed her in return. 

“I guess when everything happened I pushed everyone away because I don’t know who I can trust anymore. You think you know a person so well then they do something like that and you wonder whether you really knew them at all.” Pedro placed an arm around Grace, pulling her in for a hug. He thought that it may have been the wrong thing to do but she didn’t seem to want to pull away. She buried her face into his chest. Grace wasn’t really crying but she was still upset about the betrayal and her never talking about it before didn’t seem to have lessened the pain. 

“I know that I’m not exactly the person to seek advice from. The last real relationship I had lasted three years and that was almost ten years ago.” Pedro told her. He didn’t know whether Grace was paying attention or not but he continued anyways. “What they both did was wrong and horrible but that doesn’t mean that you should push everyone away. That won’t help anyone and I bet they’re very worried about you.” Grace pulled away from his chest to look up at him. The look in her blue eyes was a look he wished to never see again. Her eyes were a beautiful cerulean blue that deserved to hold happiness and not pain. 

“I know they’re worried. They try to contact me all the time and especially my friend Emma. She’s the only one who’s never stopped trying to contact me. I should answer the phone but I’m afraid.” He still held her in his arms and tried to get a read on her but those blue eyes weren’t giving anything but pain away. Pedro gently pushed a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear. 

“What are you afraid of?” Grace hesitantly bit her lip at his question but answered anyways.

“I’m afraid that they’ll hurt me like she did. I’m terrified that I don’t really know them just like I didn’t really know her.” Grace admitted and Pedro gave her a look that spoke nothing but understanding. 

“Look, you were hurt badly by the people you thought you could trust most in your life. You’re going to feel distrusting towards other but you need to know that not everyone is out there to hurt you.” He told her firmly. “Grace, your friends are probably really concerned for you right now. You need to talk to them.” Grace gave Pedro a sheepish look.

“I have been rather selfish, haven’t I? I’ve only been thinking about my own feelings instead of what everyone else is feeling.” Pedro just shook his head.

“You had every right to be selfish.” They fell into a silence and Grace took the time to notice that she was practically in Pedro’s lap. She blushed at the thought and started to inch her way away from him. He must’ve thought she was some desperate, entitled girl who was trying to throw herself at him and tell him some sad sob story. She pulled away quickly after that.

“I’m sorry. You must think I’m so sad and pathetic.” Grace told him and Pedro immediately frowned.

“Never. Grace, never hesitate to talk to me about anything. You’ve gone through a lot of unbelievable shit and you shouldn’t keep that bottled up.” She smiled genuinely for the first time since they started this conversation. It had been such a long time since Grace had met someone who was so upfront and brutally honest with her. People always liked to sugar coat things like that and it was never appreciated by her. He was the first person since her father that told her not what she wanted to hear but what she needed to hear. Grace suddenly found herself wishing that she was older than what she was because she knew that Pedro would make an amazing boyfriend. She knew that he was far too much older than herself to even start to look at her in that way. The reason he was being so kind to her was probably because she reminded him of a little sister or something. 

It was like something shifted between Grace and Pedro after that. They slipped into a much more casual conversation that regarded Grace’s love for a much different HBO show. True Blood. He pretended to be offended that she had seen ‘True Blood’ and not the show he was on but he was amused if anything. Somehow she had talked him into watching a couple of episodes with her. He even had to admit that he liked the show although Pedro was sure that Grace loved it so much because certain vampire Viking named Eric Northman. Pedro acted like Grace’s attraction towards Alexander Skarsgard didn’t bother him but it kind of did. It shouldn’t have bothered him so much. He knew that but he couldn’t help but wonder if Grace had a type and if that type was tall, blonde, blue eyed men with six packs. If it was then Pedro was shit out of luck since he possessed none of those things. Pedro shook himself out of his musings because absolutely nothing was to happen between him and the blonde actress. 

At some point during the third or fourth episode of ‘True Blood’ Grace had fallen asleep. She had rested her head on his shoulder and Pedro turned to look at her. Grace looked so peaceful and beautiful in a relaxed state which was different from her distressed state from before. He wished that she could stay like that… Peaceful and relaxed because she had far too much to deal with. Things that she really shouldn’t have to deal with, Pedro thought to himself as he allowed himself to think about Tom and Taylor. It became obvious that Pedro didn’t have a high opinion of the media’s favorite new celebrity couple. 

Time had really flown since Pedro had entered her hotel room and he now noticed that it was almost two in the morning. Usually he stayed up until three but Pedro knew that both him and Grace had to be in early to the studio for rehearsals. He glanced down at Grace’s sleeping form and knew instantly that he couldn’t leave her like that on the couch. Without any further thought Pedro got up from the couch before leaning down and picking Grace up in his arms. He was afraid that he would wake her but she barely stirred as she nestled her face into his neck. Pedro smirked at how absolutely adorable the slender blonde was. Not stopping to think any more on it he carried Grace to her bed with Ash quickly following behind them. Pedro gently set Grace down on the bed, getting ready to place the covers over her but she woke up before he could.

“What happened?” She asked tiredly with a dreamy look in her eyes. It made Pedro want to stay with her and not leave the room without her. 

“You fell asleep. I thought you would appreciate me not leaving you on the couch for the night.” Pedro told her softly. Grace still seemed to be half asleep as she pulled the covers over herself before nodding. 

“I’m going back to my hotel room, okay?” He said before making a move to leave the room but Grace protested.

“No. Please stay.” Pedro turned back to her, thinking that she had been talking in her sleep but he saw that she was more awake then she had been before.

“What?” Grace suddenly looked very nervous and wide eyed. 

“Please stay… I really don’t want to be alone.” Pedro couldn’t find it in himself to just deny her of that. The far away look in Grace’s eyes pulled at his heart strings so Pedro found himself giving up. He knew that he secretly wanted to stay with her but definitely not in a friendly way. He wasn’t opposed to being friends with a woman since most of his friends were women as it turned out but Grace was starting to feel like different territory. 

“Are you sure?” He asked hesitantly and Grace nodded. “You do know that I don’t sleep in my jeans, right?” Grace blushed but he couldn’t see the red flush on her skin in the darkness. 

“We’re both adults here.” Grace retorted and Pedro stared at her for a moment like she was a piece of a puzzle he just couldn’t figure out. 

“If you’re sure then.” Grace didn’t say anything as she turned back over to try and give him some privacy. Pedro smirked at her bashfulness because he wasn’t sure if her shyness was a British thing or a Grace thing. Whatever the reason was Pedro knew that he had to stay with Grace just because she simply asked him to. He felt like Grace could ask him to punch Tom Hiddleston in the face and he would’ve done it. That was mostly because Pedro knew that he really wanted to punch Tom Hiddleston. Pedro took off his jeans but left his t-shirt on before getting into the opposite side of the bed. He decided to lie on top of the covers instead of under so he wouldn’t cause Grace any discomfort. There were several minutes of silence between the two of them before anyone spoke. The silence was brought to an end as Grace spoke up out of the blue.

“Pedro?” She whispered softly. Her voice was so quiet that Pedro had thought that he imagined it at first. 

“Yes?” He whispered back and Grace turned over to face him. The bed was large and spacious so there was plenty of room between them but he could still see her bright blue eyes under the moonlight that streamed in from the window.

“Thank you for staying.” She thanked him and Pedro smiled.

“Don’t mention it. We’re friends, right?” Grace returned his smile.

“Yes… Friends.” Grace wanted to say something else but decided against it so she decided to just call it a night. “Goodnight, Pedro.”

“Goodnight, Grace.” An overwhelming silence grew in the moments since Pedro spoke and he assumed that she had fallen asleep. He let his mind wonder for several minutes before also falling asleep. A part of him knew that this was a very bad idea. This was only going to feed into his growing attraction for the young blonde but another part of him didn’t care. In this moment it was almost like Grace and him were more than friends. All it took was an imaginary scenario and he could pretend that he was free enough to allow himself to give into that attraction. 

 

Pedro wasn’t sure of the time when he finally woke up but he assumed it was fairly early in the morning since the birds were still chirping and no one was blowing up his phone, asking him why he was late to rehearsals. The warm LA sunlight streamed in from the window causing him to close his eyes from the sheer brightness. He covered his face with his hand but noticed how difficult the task was one of his arms was wrapped around something… Or someone. Pedro glanced down in surprise to notice that his arm was wrapped around Grace Gallagher. The blonde was sleeping soundly, her head resting against his chest and one her arms lying across his torso lazily. At first Pedro was afraid that he had gotten drunk last night and did something that would ruin whatever was going on between him and Grace. It was then that he noticed that they were both clothed and the memory of her asking him to stay came back to him. Pedro calmed down but not completely since there was still the question as to how they ended up like that. They were way closer together then they had been when they had fallen asleep. Grace was resting soundly against his chest and he could feel her warmth against him. Their legs were tangled together and Pedro was sure that if Grace woke up and demanded to know what was going on… Well, he wouldn’t have an answer for her. 

Pedro knew that it should feel wrong to be that close and intimate with Grace considering the age difference but he honestly didn’t feel that even as she lay upon his chest. She was an incredible and talented young actress but there was also more to her than that. Grace was intelligent, modest, and had a very witty since of humor all of which were hard to find in Hollywood. She was ridiculously famous but none of that seemed to matter to her in the least. Grace was also kind and down to earth which was something he admired about her. Pedro couldn’t picture her furious or hateful towards anyone even when she seemed angry talking about Taylor. Grace was alarmingly polite to those who may not have even deserved it. He knew that if he had a best friend that stole his significant other than he wouldn’t waste anytime rushing over to their house to pop them one in the eye or nose or something. There was also this certain air that Grace had about her. A feeling of innocence that still had not been tainted even after spending years in Hollywood. It was infectious and Pedro felt an unquenchable thirst for everything about Grace. 

He stared at her as she rested in peace because he knew that whatever attraction and feelings he was having for Grace was not just going to go away. It had been a long time since he had fallen in love with someone but he knew that Grace would be easy to fall in love with. They had only known each other for just over a week but they already had this insane chemistry together. Pedro had tried to deny his attraction to Grace because he knew that it was wrong because of the age gap but now he didn’t think he could. He tried to not deny himself the things he wanted in life and he certainly wanted Grace. Pedro wanted to make her forget all about her asshole ex… He wanted to be more than just a friend or coworker to her. 

Pedro knew that he was going to pursue Grace romantically. It had been a very longtime since he been serious about anyone but he knew that he could be serious with her. He just had to be. Grace had been hurt in the past by some asshole who didn’t appreciate what he had when he had it so he would have to be careful. Pedro knew that she wasn’t just going to be a simple fling that he would get over. He wasn’t even sure if Grace would have him but if she did he knew that she was the kind of woman you didn’t mess around with. She was someone who could have anyone and if you were lucky enough she might pick you. If she picked you then you should consider yourself the luckiest person in the universe. She was like a shooting star in that sense. 

The older actor had never been so hung up on someone shortly after meeting them but for some reason he was that way with Grace. It just had to mean something.


	11. Breaking News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The public's speculation over Grace's relationship with Pedro.

Breaking News  
Grace Gallagher is Jennifer Lawrence?

After a couple of months without seeing Grace Gallagher, the actress finally reappeared. She was seen last month on the short press tour of her latest film ‘The Shallows’ but no one has managed to catch a glimpse of Grace in public. The actress recently divorced her husband of one year after six years of dating. The divorce followed after a number of pictures of Tom Hiddleston and Taylor Swift were released online. The Thor actor and Bad Blood singer were seen getting very cozy in Rhode Island. This had to be a blow to the Harry Potter actress since Taylor Swift and Grace Gallagher seemed to be the best of friends only a few short months ago. The two glamourous blondes had one of the most famous friendships in Hollywood until Swift stole Gallagher’s husband. What are best friends for?

Sources close to Grace said that the actress has just been taking some much needed time off after the divorce and Swiftie drama. However, for the first time in months Grace was seen out in public looking ready for a night out(See the picture below). A very enthusiastic Uber driver managed to capture a selfie with both Grace as well as Game of Thrones actor Pedro Pascal. In the Instagram picture you can see a very happy looking Grace Gallagher laughing at the Narcos actor. Marcus Conway, the Uber Driver, captioned the photo with a simple sentence stating, “Got to drive two very awesome people around tonight. #LoveMyJob #Red Viper #Katniss”. Many of us were very confused when we saw Grace Gallagher in the photo but Katniss in the caption but Marcus cleared that up for us in another post, this time via twitter,“Haha. I recognized her then she told me she was Jennifer Lawrence. Funny girl. #JustGotPlayed”. 

It appears that when driver Marcus Conway showed some recognition for Grace Gallagher, the actress in turn pretended to be Jennifer Lawrence. I think all of us wished that we were Pedro Pascal in that moment only just to witness the English actress’s rare show of humor. Speaking of Pedro Pascal… Many have been wondering what the Game of Thrones actor and Grace Gallagher were doing together at such a late hour. Grace looked dressed for a night out in her strapless peplum dress and her matching pumps. She also looked pretty cozy with the Chilean born actor. Could Grace be moving on from ex Tom Hiddleston to Pedro Pascal? This would definitely an odd coupling especially since Pascal is fifteen years her senior compared to the age difference between Grace Gallagher and Tom Hiddleston which was nine years. 

These rumors have currently been confirmed untrue seeing as Grace Gallagher and Pedro Pascal are costarring in a film together which is now shooting in LA. Grace portrays her late grandmother Princess Grace in the film which is perfect since we all know how identical Grace looks to her grandmother. Pascal portrays Prince Rainier who was Grace’s grandfather and the former reigning Prince of Monaco which has now fallen onto Grace’s uncle Prince Albert. Numerous other big name stars have joined the cast of ‘Grace of Hollywood’ including George Clooney, Anthony Hopkins, Lily Colins, and Robert Downey Jr. Gallagher and Pascal’s night out was most likely due in part to their much needed bonding for the film.

Another source close to the Downton Abbey actress said that the actress was not looking for any relationships. “Grace is really just trying to get over Tom and the betrayal of Taylor. She’s not looking for love at the movement and she just wants to focus on herself right now.” 

So what do you guys think? Is Grace just bonding with her costar or is there something more going on between her and Pedro Pascal? Tell us what you think in the comments.

-Julianne Williams (Entertainment Weekly)


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace blows people's minds as she shows up on set as vision from the past. An old friend also makes an appearance on set much to Grace's amazement.

Two and a half weeks had passed since that night with Pedro and Grace knew that something had drastically changed between the two of them. She awoke that morning to find Pedro gone from bed but she hadn’t questioned it. It wasn’t like he had any obligation to her or anything. He wasn’t her boyfriend and Grace figured that he probably went back to his room to get dressed for their second day on set. Still… Grace was certain that something had changed between them. She could almost feel it in the air between them whenever they interacted. 

Grace had been worried that she may have opened up to Pedro a little too much. It wasn’t like her to reveal so much about herself especially to someone she hadn’t known for too long. Pedro hadn’t made any mention of anything she told him the night before. They went on as they usually did with their playful conversation and banter only this time it was different. He looked at her a different way than he had before with a certain twinkle in his eyes. The way he talked to her was also a change from the usual with his tone more playful and maybe even… flirtatious. No, that couldn’t be it. Something was different but it didn’t seem possible that things had shifted that much overnight. 

Rehearsals had come to an end and the cast and crew were getting ready to start filming the scenes. Everything had gone as well as expected and there was little to no problems that had arisen during rehearsals. George was his usual goofy self, pulling pranks on nearly everyone on set. He had even taken a super soaker to Grace and completely showered her with water which felt good on a hot day but had ruined her outfit. Robert paired off with George made Grace hate whoever did the casting for the film. Things between her and Robert were as friendly as they could be but there was still awkwardness there. Grace had gotten along well with Lily as predicted but the blonde actress had remained close to Pedro’s side and he with her. 

Grace smiled as she remembered the dancing lessons that she and Pedro had to take for the movie. It hadn’t been anything too crazy for her since she was accustomed to with her past films. ‘Cinderella’ and ‘La La Land’ had both required extensive dancing lessons. The wedding dance that she and Ped had to do was just a simple waltz that was seemingly less complicated than the one she did with Ryan in ‘La La Land’. Even though the dance was easy for her that didn’t mean that it was also easy for Pedro. The look of pure concentration on Pedro’s face as he tried not to step on her feet was absolutely adorable. Apparently he could dance to Rihanna but when it came to the waltz he was completely clueless. It took him a while but eventually they nailed the wedding dance and Grace was excited to do the dance in front of the cameras. She only hoped that Pedro didn’t forget anything. 

 

The first day of filming turned out to be a long day for Grace seeing as how she had arrived on set at five in the morning for hair and make-up. It took nearly three and a half hours for the make-up and hair people to get her ready for filming. Today was the day she shot the scene where Grace Kelly won the Oscar for ‘The Country Girl’ so everyone was going all out with her look. Grace wore a replica of her grandmother’s pale blue, silk gown. It was floor length with a modest neckline and two thin straps holding it up. Even though the gown wasn’t the original dress, Grace was still afraid to move around in it. They paired the down with a pair of elbow length gloves and heels. The hair people carefully styled her hair into an elegant looking bun and the make-up people did the rest, giving her a natural look. 

Grace stared at herself in the mirror in awe. It was obvious to her now so she couldn’t deny the resemblance between her and her late grandmother that she never got to meet. Grace looked identical to Grace Kelly from all the pictures she had seen of her grandmother in the past. It was almost scary. Usually Grace covered up the resemblance with her more modern look but there was no denying it now. Even the hair and make-up people stared at her in a state of wonder and amazement. They wished her luck on her way out of the hair and make-up trailer and Grace knew that she would need it. Nothing would prepare her for the reactions she got the second she stepped out of the trailer.

It was almost like time froze as Grace Gallagher made her way to set. Everyone stopped and stared as she walked past them. Not just because she was having one of those moments every girl has in a movie… You know… the one where the girl puts on a dress and everyone stares at her while time slows down. No, the moment Grace was having wasn’t anything like that. The cast and crew stared at her simply because it was like the ghost of Grace Kelly was haunting the set. Everyone knew that Grace looked very much like her grandmother but never to this extent. If they took a picture of Grace and put it beside one of her grandmother they wouldn’t be able to tell the different. Baz knew in that moment that he had done the right thing in getting Grace to play her grandmother in the film. 

 

Pedro wasn’t filming anything that day and he wouldn’t be filming anything for another week since Prince Rainier came later in the movie. He had been chatting with George when Grace came strolling onto set and he had to do a double take when he saw her. Pedro suddenly forgot whatever it was that he and George were talking about. He didn’t looked to be the only either as everyone had become mesmerized by the blonde.

“Holy fuck.” George said under his breath. It was clear that even the award winning actor was left in a state of shock at seeing Grace’s appearance. He didn’t blame him though because Grace looked exactly like her grandmother. It reminded him of the fact that Grace was still the granddaughter of a legend of the silver screen and not to mention that she had royal blood. Pedro knew that it was stupid of him to forget such a thing considering what movie they were both starring in but he couldn’t help it. All the time he had spent with Grace seemed to make him forget that she was the granddaughter of Grace Kelly and the daughter of a princess. Seeing her looking like that reminded him of who she was but it also made him feel like he was out of his depth. 

It had been two weeks since Pedro had made up his mind about pursuing Grace romantically. It had been a while since he had been this serious about someone since most of the past ten years in his life consisted of flings or one night stands. This was a fact that most of his friends constantly bugged him about since most of them were in committed relationships. Pedro was starting to think he had somehow lost his game because all the flirting and spending time together didn’t seem to be working. It seemed that every night he and Grace would spend hours together in her or his hotel room. They would stay up until the early hours of the morning either talking or watching movies… sometimes both. Just when he was thinking that Grace was interested in him she would make an excuse to leave the room and walk out. 

Pedro wasn’t clueless. He knew when a woman wasn’t interested in him and he could tell that Grace seemed to be interested although she always tried to escape him when he flirted. Pedro loved flirting with Grace because she had a reaction unlike anyone else. The blonde actress would flush a lovely shade of red over her ivory skin before looking anywhere else beside his eyes. It was almost frustrating to Pedro that she didn’t seem to pick up on his more than subtle clues. Did he have to spell it out for her? Something told him that she probably got the hint but was trying ignore his advances for whatever reason. Pedro was snapped out of his thoughts as Grace walked up to him and George.

“Hey,” Grace greeted as she approached them. They didn’t say anything and she rolled her eyes before groaning. “Not you too.” Pedro took this as his opportunity to make a move as he shot her a charming smile.

“Can you blame us, princess? You look a vision in your gown.” Pedro flirted and Grace glared at him.

“Who are you calling princess?” She demanded and he smirked at the annoyed look on her face. Even when she looked annoyed with him she looked absolutely beautiful.

“You, of course. Aren’t you technically a princess?” Grace scoffed. 

“No, I’m not actually. My mother was a princess… there’s a difference.” Pedro didn’t seem the least bit put off by her statement. 

“Well, you’re still my princess.” Grace blushed at his suggestive tone. She glanced away from Pedro hastily before looking at George. The older actor was looking between Pedro and Grace with an amused expression on his face.

“I think I’ll go see what Baz wants.” Grace told them before heading off in the direction of the Australian director. George laughed once she was out of hearing distance and looked at his new friend. 

“That was smooth.” He commented and Pedro glared at him. 

“Thanks a lot.” George decided to have a little chat with his costar. He hadn’t known Pedro long but he had known Grace for a while even if they hadn’t been in touch for a long time. The older actor knew her when she was a naïve and nervous looking twenty year old young woman. She had just entered her relationship with Tom back then and he remembered that she always seemed to have a sad look on her face after talking with the British actor on the phone. It was a wonder how they lasted as long as they did. He liked the way she looked when she was around Pedro. Grace always seemed so shy and reserved but around Pedro she appeared to be the life of the party. George felt inclined to give the Chilean actor some insight into the mind that was Grace Gallagher. It would be good for Grace. Grace had gone through so much that he knew that Pedro could be just what she needed. 

“Listen, Pedro, you’re going about it wrong with Grace.” George told him and Pedro’s look softened as he listened to the older actor.

“What?” George sighed. 

“If you want to go out with her you’re going to have to spell it out for her. I’ve known Grace for a while and it’s really all or nothing with her. She needs you to literally tell her that you’re interested in her or she’s just going to sit there all day and overthink things. It’s just what she does.” Pedro listened to George’s advice intently. He didn’t know what to say to that but it made a little sense since Grace was always overthinking the smallest of details like what movie they were going to watch or what pair of shoes she was going to wear that day. On the other hand, part of him was afraid of asking her out because she could say no and then things would be awkward. George made a face at the contemplative look on Pedro’s face. 

“Oh, don’t you start overthinking things too. Grace isn’t going to say no. She’s interested… there’s no doubt in my mind about that.” George said and Pedro wondered how he was able to read people so well. 

“So just come out with it then?” Pedro inquired and George nodded.

“Yes and the worst thing she can say is no. If she says no please don’t be upset with her. Grace has been through a lot and she may need time.” Pedro nodded in understanding before they were cut off by Baz announcing that they were about to start filming. They watched silently as Grace slipped out of her British accent into the mid-Atlantic accent golden age actresses were known to have back in the fifties. Pedro was no stranger to accents since he had abandoned his American accent for a more Latin sounding one on ‘Game of Thrones’. Still… It was very amazing to hear Grace speaking in an accent that was more similar to his own than British. Pedro had to admit that he loved her original British accent in all fairness. 

As the Latin actor watched Grace film her scene he started developing a plan in his head. He knew that the overly subtle hints he dropped for her weren’t working so he would have to take it to the next step as George suggested. Pedro was going to come out and ask Grace out but he just needed to find a way to go about doing that. She was a rather skittish little thing and he didn’t want to send her running for the hills so he would just have to figure out how to sweep her off her feet. It became obvious to him that Grace wasn’t going to make it that easy but it was one of the things he loved about her. 

Loved?

Pedro wouldn’t say that he loved her even though he cared about her a great deal and was interested in her romantically. You couldn’t love someone after only knowing them for three weeks. Could you? Pedro had spent a lot of time with Grace in those three weeks but that was still such a short amount of time. A month ago he hadn’t even known her… at least not at a personal level. It seemed like he was quickly developing deep feelings for the blonde actress. This only caused him more frustration since Grace didn’t seem to be giving into his advances quite yet. The situation he was in with Grace only confused him more because he had never dated a costar before. Could there be some rule that dictated that costars couldn’t date each other? No. That couldn’t be true. Besides… he knew that Grace had dated costars before not that he paid much attention to the media. Maybe that was why she was so hesitant. 

Pedro shook himself out of his thoughts. He was overthinking things just like George had said previously to him. He must’ve spent so much time around Grace that her personality was starting to rub off on him. Usually Pedro was never this careful about anything but instead was a carefree and impulsive person. His friends, Sarah and Lena, would probably agree that Grace was becoming very good for him. No, Pedro would go through with his plan to pursue Grace like George suggested. He was never one to deny what he felt so he would be damned if he ignored his feelings for the sake of the public. Whatever was between him and Grace was intense and powerful. Pedro needed to see this through for both Grace’s and his own sake. He knew that Grace felt it too even if she was trying to ignore all his attempts at furthering their relationship. Pedro would just ask her out and if she said no then that was it but if she said yes… now that was a whole other story. 

“And the Oscar goes to… Grace Kelly for ‘The Country Girl’.” The actor playing William Holden called out. Grace sat in the midst of hundreds of other extras who were portraying attendees at the Oscars but back in her grandmother’s day. Grace smiled as she heard the que before getting up from her seat. She was still amazed how they managed to build the epic set of the 1955 Academy Award ceremony. All of the extras looked so old Hollywood as well as glamorous and part of Grace wished that she was Lily or George so she could stand on the sidelines and watch from off camera. As Grace climbed onto the stage in her fitted gown she plastered an appreciative smile on her face before shaking the actor’s hand and receiving her Oscar. Grace looked down at the tiny little golden man wondering if the real thing was this heavy. Grace smiled at the audience as she walked up to the microphone, holding onto the Oscar, and stepped on her mark. 

“The thrill of the moment keeps me from saying what I really feel.” Grace spoke with her more Americanized accent. “I can only say thank you with all my heart to all who made this possible for me.”

“Thank you.” Grace concluded with a teary look in her eyes. The actor who was playing William Holden then proceeded to escort her off stage. In the film it would be where Grace Kelly met Marlon Brando who was being played by Alden Ehrenreich in that particular scene. It was a small two minute part in the film but apparently the actor was a huge fan of both Baz and Marlon Brando so he didn’t care how big of a part it was.

“Cut!” Baz yelled out and everything seemed to stop. The director told them that since the scene wasn’t overly complicated they were probably good with that take. Grace was glad because that was the fourth take and it wasn’t a very fun scene to film. The scene literally consisted of Grace getting up from a chair and then walking onto a stage. It was pretty boring for an actor who was excited to get to the more emotional bits and pieces of the film. 

The day wasn’t overly exhausting for Grace aside from the fitting from earlier. She filmed a quick scene with Alden that required a few takes and then one scene that took place at Grace Kelly’s house before the Oscars. Everyone knew how long it took to have that dress specially fitted to Grace’s form so they decided to get the whole entire Oscars ordeal out of the way because they didn’t want to have to take as long the next day filming with that horrid dress. It was actually quite beautiful but Grace didn’t think she wanted to poked and prodded with needles again the next day. 

Once Grace was cleared to return her hotel room she went straight to the costume trailer so that the costume people could tear the dress off of her. She was tired from wearing the dress as well as starving from not being able to eat all day. The costume people had been adamant that Grace not eat in her dress since it was likely that she would either get food stains all over it or it would screw up the measurements. Pedro had promised her some more takeout so she didn’t waste any time getting out of the dress. She left the trailer in the same clothes she had arrived in which was a pair of printed leggings and a Universal Harry Potter sweatshirt over it which Universal studios in Orlando had sent her when they opened the theme park. They had actually sent her hundreds of things and Grace was forever thankful being the Harry Potter fan that she was. She wore a pair of converse and put her hair up into a messy ponytail. At this point Grace didn’t care if she looked like a messy slob since she was exhausted from the fitting. Maybe she could even pass off as an American in this look.

“Ready to head back to the hotel?” Pedro inquired as she exited the costume trailer. Grace smiled because it was so sweet how he waited outside for her like that.

“Yeah, I’m starving.” Pedro smirked.

“I could go for something to eat although that pizza at lunch was delicious.” He teased and Grace glared at him.

“Well, not all of us are lucky enough to not have to film for another week. I wish I could be the bum on set like you.” Pedro laughed at her sarcastic tone. 

“As much as I love working I have to say that it’s been equally as thrilling just sitting around and watching you work instead.” He replied but his face softened after a moment. “You looked beautiful today in that dress. I couldn’t take my eyes off of you, princess.” Grace blushed at his compliment and brushed it off. She didn’t know why he was suddenly calling her princess even though she technically wasn’t one. No one had ever called her princess before… not even her father. Grace also didn’t know why she wasn’t correcting him. 

“I would hope that I looked good. I couldn’t eat anything the whole day just because of that dress. Never again.” Grace said in a nonchalant tone and Pedro frowned. Yeah, he was definitely just going to come out about it to her. He didn’t think now was the time to have this conversation with her since she was exhausted from a day on set and she was also hungry. Pedro was about to respond when one of the security guards on set came running up to them. 

“Miss Gallagher, I’m so glad that I found you.” The short but muscular looking man said to her as he approached both Grace and Pedro. He seemed slightly out of breath and he had a look of annoyance but it was clear that the expression wasn’t directed at them. Grace gave the man a confused look as she looked from him to Pedro. She wanted to know what was going on that had the usually calm looking man so worried but Pedro didn’t seem to know what was going on either. 

“Well, you found me. Why? What’s happened?” The man gave her a serious look that nearly caused Grace’s heart to jump out of her chest. 

“We’ve had a slight breach in security. I apologize on my team’s behalf.” Grace’s eyes widened and for a moment she thought that it might be Taylor. It was obvious that no fan could ever breach security on a set like this. It would have to mean that one of the security guys became very star struck and let a celebrity onto the set with no authorization. If it was Taylor, Grace wasn’t sure what she would do. She didn’t know if she would scream, cry, or beat the shit out of the popstar in a pure dramatic state of rage. All Grace knew was that she was nowhere near ready to face Taylor… or Tom for that matter.

“What kind of breach? Who did you let on set?” Grace questioned, not wasting anytime. Pedro was taken back by her tone which was demanding and snippy. Usually Grace was so polite and kind but it was clear that something had her worried. He was also curious about who could’ve possibly been able to breach security. 

“One of my guys is a really big Harry Potter fan so he let her through but I’ll make sure he is reprimanded for the mistake.” Grace’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion because she knew it couldn’t be Taylor. Who the hell was he talking about?

“I don’t understand.” Grace replied but before the security guy could respond a familiar figure popped around the corner. Grace spotted the figure from the corner of her eye and looked up only to be met with one of the last people she would’ve expected to see that day and in LA of all places.

“Understand this, Gallagher, a concerned friend of ten years has decided to kindly visit you on set.” The agitated voice said. A furious looking Emma Watson stood in front of both Grace and Pedro, arms crossed as her brown eyes glared at the blonde actress. Grace gave the brunette a surprise look, not having expected to see one of her best friends show up at her work. A friend that she hadn’t seen in a timeline that spanned over four months. Pedro had to admit he was a little star struck at seeing the famous twenty something year old actress. Everyone knew her from her work in Harry Potter of course but Pedro was also a fan of her work in ‘Perks of Being a Wallflower’. He snapped out of his state of wonder before looking between her and Grace. Grace had told him weeks ago that she had been avoiding all of her friends so he guessed one of her very concerned friends finally decided to come in and check on her. 

“Emma? What are you doing here? I haven’t seen you in ages.” Emma responded, still in a state of confusion. No one could’ve prepared them for what happened next because everything happened in a flash. A loud, cringe worthy smacking sound was heard, skin on skin contact, as Emma slapped Grace harshly across the cheek. 

“Don’t you dare act like you haven’t been avoiding me! Four months, Grace! Four damn months!” The slap had thrown Grace’s head to the side in response and the blonde’s eyes started watering from the contact. Her cheek was already reddening from the abuse. The security guard grabbed Emma’s arms as he pulled her away from Grace. Pedro glared angrily at the brunette actress before wrapping an arm around Grace. He cupped her face gently in his hands and analyzed the redness of her face. He looked back to Emma, truly pissed off by the display of violence against Grace.

“Who the hell do you think you are?! Coming in here and treating Grace like that. I don’t give a shit what she did. I don’t care if she murdered your cat. It doesn’t give you a right to-“Pedro started to tell Emma in the heat of the moment but Grace stopped him, putting a hand on his chest . She looked up at him with a look in her eyes that told him that she was fine.

“It’s okay, Pedro.” She murmured and that pissed him off even more. He scoffed angrily as he snuck another glance at Emma who looked confused at the close proximity of her best friend and the strange older man who had yelled at her. She still looked angry but slightly less now.

“The hell it is! She can’t just walk in here like she owns the place and touch you like that.” Grace looked back to Emma with a guilty expression on her face. 

“Yes she can… She had every right to. I completely deserve it.” Grace told him but she stared at Emma the whole time she was speaking. The blonde glanced at the security guy who looked determined to keep Emma restrained and away from Grace. “You can let her go. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure, Miss Gallagher?” Grace gave him a small nod.

“Yes, I am. Please don’t let that other member of security get in trouble because of me. It’s fine. This was probably long overdue.” The man nodded before letting go of Emma. Grace convinced him briefly that the situation was completely diffused and he quickly left after that, not one for celebrity drama. Grace thanked him as he hurried away. The two actresses stared each other in the eyes for what felt like an hour but was probably just a couple of minutes. Grace bit her lip nervously before speaking up again. “I suppose we should carry this conversation on in my trailer.” 

“That sounds nice.” Emma said quietly, she seemingly calmed down from her earlier action. Grace glanced at Pedro who looked slightly weary of Emma still. She placed her hand in his briefly before giving him a comforting squeeze. 

“You should head back to the hotel. I’ll catch up with you later.” She told him softly but Pedro still looked concerned. 

“Are you sure? You said you were starving?” Grace shrugged.

“I can wait.” Pedro glanced at Emma, who was staring at their adjoined hands, before looking back to Grace. She gave him a reassuring look and he knew that it was probably best that she worked things out with her friend. 

“I’ll order you something. It’ll be waiting for you when you return to the hotel.” Pedro told her and she smiled. 

“Thank you.” He gave her a curt nod and she let go of his hand.

“Text me if you need anything.” Pedro said before departing from the two actresses. Grace watched him leave and knew that she was finally going to have to face Emma after spending months in solitude. She wasn’t sure how it would end but she knew that Pedro would still be there for her waiting in the hotel. It was going to be okay. She turned back to Emma and gave her friend an awkward smile before leading her back to her trailer. Everything was going to be okay… it just had to be.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace and Emma talk things out and settle their differences.

Things were quiet in Grace’s trailer as soon as the pair entered and Grace closed the door behind them. Ash, who had joined her on set, had gone back to the hotel with Lily who had graciously offered to take the German Shepard off her hands momentarily. Lucky for her that Lily was staying at the same hotel she was staying in although her room was a distance away from Grace’s room. Emma seemed to be in a state of shock over her actions from earlier. The brunette never condoned any sort of violence but she had been so hurt and angry that she couldn’t control herself. There was an awkward silence between the two of them for what felt like hours. Grace had no idea what to tell her friend and Emma had no idea what to say now that she was there alone with Grace. 

“I haven’t seen or heard from you in over four months, Grace.” Emma said in a shaky voice after the long silence. Grace bit her lip and nodded, looking down at her hands briefly before looking back up at Emma. 

“I know, Emma, I know.” Emma stared at the guilty looking blonde and wanted to know what was going on. She demanded some answers and Emma thought that some answers from Grace were fully within her right.

“No calls, no texts, and not even a bloody email! I had to hear from The Sun that you had moved to New York! The Sun!” Emma told her angrily. Grace’s eyes filled with unshed tears and she knew that she deserved every bit of the anger in Emma’s eyes. She had been so selfish and terrible avoiding everyone who cared about her. 

“I’m sorry, Emma…” Grace said before finally breaking down. Emma’s anger disappeared as she watched the tears fall from Grace’s eyes. Her voice had become weak from the amount of emotion that had overcome her. “I’m so sorry.” 

“Grace…” Emma trailed off still surprised by Grace’s state of sadness. She had never seen her best friend cry like that… even when the incident happened over a year ago. Grace had suffered a lot but she had always remained calm and stoic. The amount of suffering she had faced in the past made Emma angry at how Tom could’ve just went on his merry way with Taylor without any consideration over what it would do to Grace. What Emma didn’t know was that Grace did cry but never did so in front of anyone.

“I know I should’ve called or texted but I just… I just couldn’t bring myself to.” 

“Everyone was so worried about you. Ryan even called me to ask about you which was the first time I really had any contact with him.” Grace looked away, guilt all over her face.

“What did he want?” Emma gave her a look of disbelief. 

“He wanted to know about you of course! Why else would he talk to me?” Emma’s frustration faded away when she saw just how much this must’ve been killing Grace. “I told him the truth… That I hadn’t talked to you in months and as far as I knew you weren’t talking to anyone.” Emma paused for a moment before looking back to Grace.

“Just please explain to me why… Why did you avoid me, Grace? We’ve been friends for years and I’d like to think that I know you better than that.” Grace nervously bit her lip as she thought of an answer that sounded somewhat sane and made sense but Grace couldn’t think of one. 

“If you want an answer that makes sense that’s something that I don’t think I can give you.” Emma shook her head.

“Any answer would suffice. I just really want an answer, Grace.” Grace sighed before she answered the question that Emma had wanted to hear for a long time. 

“Taylor and I were close… And I know you’ll argue with me on this but we had an understanding that went beyond the friendship you and I share. I didn’t feel obligated to feel smart like I do with you.” Emma opened her mouth to protest but Grace didn’t give her the opportunity to. “I know you’ll say that you never tried to make me feel any less because of my lack of an education but I still felt that way. She kind of understood me on that level since a lot of her friends had gone off to college as well. So you see that I had a lot in common with her.” Grace fiddled with a loose strand of thread on her sweatshirt sleeve as she tried to figure out what she was going to say next. 

“There were things I could talk to Taylor about that I couldn’t talk about with you. I know all the publicity and squad stuff was a bit ridiculous… I see that now. I know that I was very narcissistic and childish but I couldn’t help it. There’s something about her… I don’t know if it’s her personality or just an aura she has but it’s like people are naturally pulled towards her and I was one of them.” Emma processed this information that Grace was relaying to her and she understood. Taylor always did seem to attract people of all sorts. Older artists, that were a lot more talented than her, wanted to perform with her and younger artists, that were a lot more talented than her, were influenced by her. It wasn’t her songwriting or voice that made her as successful as she was because she wasn’t all that great of a singer or songwriter. No, it was something about her personality that made her that successful. 

“So when she did what she did… I just felt overwhelmingly betrayed especially since she was one of my closest friends. I counted her, you, Bonnie, and Ryan in my group of close friends. I was never one to let a lot of people in but she only reminded me why.” Grace laughed bitterly. “I wasn’t even that hurt when Tom asked for the divorce because it was a long time coming even if I was in denial about it… but when I saw her with him. It was like I couldn’t breathe anymore. No one’s ever hurt me as much as those two have.” Emma felt tears forming in her eyes as well as she heard her friend describe the pain and torment Tom and Taylor put her through.

“Even if Tom and I weren’t working out I still counted him as not just a lover but a best friend. How he went behind my back like that and with one of my best friends… I don’t know how someone could be so cold and cruel after all the years we spent together… after all we’ve been through.” Grace further explained even though it hurt to talk about. She knew that Emma deserved an explanation so she was willing to face her feelings if it meant that Emma might forgive her for being such a terrible friend. “I thought Tom wanting the divorce was just a phase and even so I still was too embarrassed to talk to any of you about it. I thought if we spent some time apart that he might’ve realized that this was just a bump in our relationship.”

“Grace, you can talk to us about anything. I can’t speak for Ryan but Bonnie and I will never not want to hear about your problems.” Grace gave her a sad look but nodded.

“I know that but after those pictures surfaced online I just couldn’t bring myself to talk to anyone. I was embarrassed and I was also afraid.” Emma gave her a confused look.

“Afraid?” Grace nodded, looking a little bit ashamed. 

“I was afraid that any one of you would hurt me like she did. I never thought that she had enough of that kind of power over me. I severely underestimated her and I was afraid that you could hurt me just like she did.” Emma looked at her in disbelief. 

“That’s the most insane thing I’ve ever heard, Grace Gallagher. Bonnie and I have been your friends for years and we were the ones who warned you against her. Besides… I doubt Ryan would ever try and steal your husband.” There was a moment of shared silence between the pair before they both busted into laughter over the imaginary image of Ryan Gosling whisking Tom away on a romantic beach. It was the first time the two had laughed together in several months and the first time Grace had let her guard down around a friend who she wasn’t sure she could trust. She could now see she was being silly, Emma would never hurt her the way Taylor did. Unlike Taylor, Emma had always been a true friend who had been there for her when times were rather dark and bleak. Emma had known Grace before Grace had become even remotely famous. She wasn’t in the friendship for the sake of publicity or media attention… No, Emma was her friend because she genuinely cared. 

“I’m sorry for ignoring everyone.” Grace said once their laughter died down. “I was being unreasonable and stupid. It was just me being paranoid and wanting to live like a hermit inside my flat.” Emma nodded.

“No, it’s actually pretty understandable from what you’ve told me. For what it’s worth I’m sorry that I slapped you. That was completely uncalled for.” Grace smiled but shook her head.

“I totally deserved it, Emma. I was acting like a total arse and wasn’t considerate of the feelings of any of you guys aside from my own.” Grace rubbed her cheek at the thought of Emma’s earlier action. “It actually stings quite a bit. You really have a lot more strength than anyone gives you credit for.” Emma gave her an apologetic look as she examined Grace’s reddened cheek. 

“You didn’t deserve that at all.” Emma told her as she opened Grace’s mini fridge to find a something to soothe the wound with. She found a bottle of cold water and immediately pressed it against her friend’s cheek. “Ugh! And that guy you were with looked at me like I was a total mad woman! He’ll probably tell everyone how crazy I am.” Grace just laughed at Emma’s panic stricken face. 

“No, I’ll talk to him about how everything’s alright between us now and he’ll understand.” Grace reassured the brunette. Emma gave Grace a soft look as the blonde pressed the bottle of cold water more firmly across her cheek. 

“Is everything alright between us?” Emma inquired and Grace looked rather hopeful at the thought.

“If you could find it in yourself to forgive me?” Emma’s eyes watered a bit and Grace tried with all her might not give up and cry.

“Of course I forgive you. Can you forgive me for being such a tosser and slapping you like that?” Grace laughed but shook her head.

“No apology necessary.” They shared a happy look amongst each other before Emma pulled her into a sudden hug. Grace let out a small laugh as the brunette hugged her tightly and she wrapped her arms about her. Grace would never admit how much she missed this. They were back to being friends again and Grace was hopefully going to go back to talking to Bonnie and Ryan as well. Everything would calm down and things would be as they once were. A question soon popped inside Emma’s mind as both her and Grace sat in a comfortable silence after pulling away from each other. It was something that had been bugging her since after she slapped Grace. 

“Grace?” She said and Grace set her blue eyed gaze on Emma. 

“Yes?” Emma bit her lip as she thought about how to go about asking Grace this question. Mostly because she was having trouble trying to distinguish what was going on in Grace’s new life. It had been many months since she had last been involved in Grace’s life. 

“Who was that guy you were with? You know the one who probably thinks I’m some mad woman.” Emma watched curiously as Grace flushed red at the thought of the ruggedly handsome man Emma had earlier encountered. 

“Oh… that was Pedro. He’s costarring in the film I’m working on right now.” Emma nodded.

“Grace of Hollywood, right?” Grace nodded. “Who does he play in the film?”

“My grandfather.” Grace answered and Emma’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Really? Well… that’s interesting.” Grace laughed.

“I guess it is a little bit weird.” She admitted and Emma immediately knew something was up with Grace. She hadn’t been in contact with her for a very long time but she knew the blonde actress enough to know when something was different about her. 

“He seemed very protective of you. Have you known him a while. I don’t think I ever remembered you talking about him.” Grace only shrugged at Emma’s inquiry. 

“We haven’t known each other that long to be honest. I think we only met a little over three weeks ago.” Grace told her honestly and Emma gave her friend a look. 

“Really? Because you two looked awfully cozy.” Emma teased causing Grace to give her a playful glare. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Emma scoffed.

“He looked like he wanted to throw me off a roof for slapping you.” Grace wanted to tell Emma that Pedro would never do such a thing because he was a gentleman but she knew that would be untrue. The gentlemen part… not the throwing Emma off the roof part. She could definitely tell that while Pedro was kind and had manners, he definitely wasn’t polite or reserved. He was blunt and sometimes very explicit in his language. She supposed it was an American thing although there were some brits that also had the same brutally honest and blunt exterior. None of those kinds of brits were the kind that Grace had grown up with. Grace had a very privileged childhood and that was something she couldn’t deny. Grace and her siblings had gone to the very best private school in London and lived in the nicest, most expensive part of London. Her parents were extremely wealthy given the fact that her father was an anchorman for BBC and her mother was a princess. Her grandmother Princess Grace had even come from a very wealthy family in America before marrying her grandfather. She knew that her inheritance would be a very considerable amount but Grace was considering just giving her part of it to Bethany when her sister because the age to claim her own inheritance. It would come in handy when paying off all her loans and finding a flat in London. 

“He was just a concerned friend.” Emma smirked. 

“Yeah, clearly a concerned friend that’s in love with you.” Grace glared at the brunette actress.

“He’s not in love with me. We’re just working together on this film and happened to have stumbled into a nice friendship.” Emma looked delighted by Grace’s uncomfortable expression on her face. That usually meant that there was something more on her mind than what she said. 

“I know that look! You like him too.” Grace blushed before looking away. 

“I do not.” Emma grinned. 

“You do too!” Emma hadn’t expected to find Grace like this when she rushed all the way over to LA to confront her. She had expected to find Grace in a self-pitying stage of her life which was why Emma slapped Grace so that she could slap some sense into her but Emma was starting to think she walked in on Grace in a very different stage of her life. She had been right alongside Grace through a lot of the blonde actress’s worst moments but Tom and Taylor just had to take the cake for the lowest point in Grace’s life. She had seen a depressed Grace before and it wasn’t a pleasant sight but Grace didn’t seem like how she had expected her to be like. It was obvious that the topic of Tom and Taylor still caused her pain but Grace was seemingly moving on with her life. As could be seen when Emma brought up the topic of Pedro. It was obvious that the mysterious costar of Grace meant a great deal to her even though Grace had only admitted to knowing him for three weeks. Emma wasn’t sure she had ever seen him in a film or anything so she would have to do her research on him. 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Grace muttered and Emma only gave her friend a smug look. It was nice that they could just slip back into their old friendship like no time had passed at all. 

“Whatever. Even though you’re too stubborn to admit whatever this guy is to you I’m glad he’s kept your spirits up.” Grace’s expression softened. Even she had to admit that Pedro did seem to make her happier. She had been in a terrible mood before she met him without her friends and her finalized divorce but somehow he made her forget about a lot of her troubles. 

“He’s really funny. You’ll love him once you get to know him and I know he’ll love you too.” Emma nodded at Grace’s compliment of Pedro, noting how her eyes lit up just talking about him. Was she ever like that with Tom? Emma questioned. Grace might have been like that with Tom way at the beginning but she still couldn’t remember the blonde seeming so bashful and shy about her ex the way she was right now with Pedro. 

“I’m sure I will. I’ll see if I can give your new boyfriend the best friend stamp of approval or not.” Grace smacked Emma’s arm playfully causing Emma to laugh. “How old is your boyfriend anyways?”

“He’s not my boyfriend! God, you act worse than my sister sometimes.” Grace paused for a moment as she thought back to Pedro’s age. Sometimes she really had to remember how old he was because it was easy to forget with him. “Forty one I believe.”

“Forty one?” Emma questioned and she wasn’t sure what to think about that. Emma had lost it a bit when Grace first started dating Tom who was nine years older than either one of them but this new guy… Wow, fifteen years Grace’s senior. That had to be some kind of record for Grace but Emma didn’t think she felt as strongly about age differences as she did several years ago. Grace was nearing twenty seven anyways so she certainly wasn’t twenty anymore. 

“He was already in his thirties when you and I first met.” Emma finally said and Grace’s stared at her friend in bewilderment. At first she thought Emma was going to lecture her about the age gap like she had with Tom but she soon spotted the smirk forming on Emma’s face. Wait… Why would Grace care anyways? It wasn’t as if Pedro actually was her boyfriend. This was just Emma teasing her, wasn’t it? 

“Don’t be gross! I’m starting to miss you slapping me instead of making fun of me.” Emma giggled.

“Whatever. I’m still excited to meet your new friend a.k.a. boyfriend. I just hope that he doesn’t hate me after earlier.” Emma told her and Grace gave her a smile.

“He won’t, I promise.” Grace paused before changing the subject. “Do you want to go meet him now or do you want to go to my hotel room to rest? I imagine that you’re pretty tired if you flew all the way down from London.” 

“Yeah, I might come to the set tomorrow to meet him if that’s alright with you.” Grace nodded.

“Of course.” Emma smirked at Grace.

“That will probably give you more time to spend alone with your boyfriend anyways.” Grace glared at her playfully. 

“That’s starting get old real fast.” Emma laughed at Grace’s expense before the laughter died down. “So how long do you think you’ll stay in LA?” 

“I was thinking just for a couple of days then I’ll return to London.” Emma replied and Grace completely understood. She never liked LA that much because it always felt too much like a disease whenever she visited. The lifestyle got to you and it wouldn’t be long before you were trapped in that state of mind. Grace didn’t like the way it felt to her and still didn’t know how she had bought a house there with Tom in the first place. Of course it was probably his idea to begin with but still. Grace wasn’t stupid, she knew that she would eventually have to buy another house in the hills since work often required her presence in the city. 

“Do you have any projects lined up?” Grace inquired and Emma just shook her head.

“I’m thinking of taking next year off and focusing on charity work. I just have the reshoots for ‘The Circle’ in October and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is completely finished.” Emma told her.

“A year off? What would that even be like? I don’t think I’ve taken a year off since I started.” Emma shrugged as Grace gave her a thoughtful look.

“You didn’t work for a while after filming the film with Ryan though?” 

“I guess but by the time we started working on this film I was starting to get very restless.” Emma nodded because she knew that she would probably start feeling like that by the time she reached a year off the job. 

“I imagine I’ll start feeling that way soon. Do you have anything lined up after this film?” Emma asked and Grace looked unsure.

“Nothing set in stone. I have this offer from HBO about a television series drama but I’m not completely sure.” Emma immediately looked interested by that piece of information.

“I’ve always been interested in working with HBO. That’s a really cool offer. What is the series about?” Grace shrugged.

“I haven’t read the script yet but it’s based off a novel.” 

“Well, if you love the script then take it. HBO puts out some really amazing shows.” Grace nodded in response.

“I’ll see, I just need to think it over some more. You know how these things are.” Grace paused before changing the subject. “How are things with being in the spotlight again? ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is going to be huge.” Emma sighed before answering Grace.

“Things are as good as they can be I suppose. Everything has been so quiet these past few years since the Deathly Hollows and me just doing independent films. At least I already know what the media’s like in that aspect so I’ll be prepared for it when it comes.” Grace could somewhat understand that. The publicity around a film had never been as extensive as it was when she was the star of an ongoing blockbuster franchise. “How are you doing with the media circus yourself?”

“I think I’m doing quite well given the circumstance. Everything’s died down a bit but I’m constantly afraid that being in LA will attract more attention.” Grace confessed. 

“The media is absolutely the worst here. I don’t think it matters what drama there is in your life. You could just be shopping at a grocery store and you’ll still attract attention.” Grace had to admit that Emma had a point there. It wouldn’t matter what was going on in her personal life, she would still get hounded even if she was the most boring person in the world. 

“I suppose you’re right.” Emma suddenly looked suspiciously smug.

“Yeah, just don’t go snogging your boyfriend in public and I’m sure the paparazzi will start to get bored of you real fast.” Grace rolled her eyes.

“I’m not even going to waste my time arguing with you.” Grace glanced at the time on her phone, noticing that she and Emma had been talking for nearly an hour and a half. “We should actually head back to the hotel, it’s starting to get late.”

“Fine. I am tired after all but we all know the real reason you want to rush back to the hotel.” Emma said with that smirk. Grace raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. “So you can spend time with your boyfriend.” Grace gave Emma a shove before heading to the door of her trailer. 

“I almost forgot how annoying you can be.”


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace tells Pedro the complete truth and they both come to a stunning realization.

Emma had settled into Grace’s hotel room with ease. The brunette actress had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow and Grace took the task of placing Emma’s suitcase in the closet of the bedroom. So much drama had occurred between the two of them in the past couple of hours that they were both emotionally exhausted and rightfully so. Grace knew that they would have plenty of time in the next couple of days to catch up with each other. She would just leave it until then and let Emma have her rest. Grace quietly left her hotel suite for next door to Pedro’s room where she felt awful for keeping him waiting for so long. She knocked on his door softly and not even ten seconds he opened it with a curious and concerned look on his face. 

“There you are. I was beginning to worry about you.” He voiced his concern and Grace blushed at his reaction.

“Sorry I kept you waiting for so long. I guess the time sort of got away from us.” Pedro nodded understandingly. 

“It’s no problem, Grace, you guys seemed like you really needed to talk things out.” He looked around the hall behind her before ushering her into his room. “Come in already. You’re probably hungry after the fitting and everything. I ordered some food for us about half an hour ago so it’s probably on its way. I figured you were probably going to be a while.” 

Grace felt her face warm from contact with him as soon as he placed an arm around her to usher her in. That would have to stop relatively soon because she could not keep acting like that whenever he touched her. He would undoubtedly have close contact with her during any romantic scenes they filmed for the movie. Pedro quietly closed the door behind her and Grace was surprised when Ash came running to her. Nearly knocking her over with his weight as he ambushed her causing Grace to let out a surprised laugh. Only two hours away from her and he acted like he hadn’t seen her in days.

“I missed you too, Ash.” Grace said as she rubbed behind the German Shepard’s ears. She looked up at Pedro who smiled at the display with an unreadable look in his eyes. 

“I thought Lily had him?” She questioned.

“She did but I thought I could take him off her hands until you got back.” Pedro replied and Grace smiled.

“Well, thank you.” This wasn’t Grace’s first time in Pedro’s hotel suite since the past couple of weeks they had stuck to hanging out in each other’s rooms. They mostly spent the time watching films or tv series even some of their own. Grace had to admit that it was weird just sitting down and watching her work with someone else beside her. It turned out Pedro had much preferred it that way so that he could ask questions or have behind the scenes information. They were all caught up with ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Skins’, and ‘Downton Abbey’. Pedro stared at her face and frowned when he saw the reddened hand print on her face.

“She didn’t slap you again, did she?” Grace laughed but shook her head.

“Thankfully no. I’ve never been slapped before so that was interesting.” Grace tried to make light of the situation but Pedro didn’t seem that amused for once as he examined her cheek.

“Do you need an ice pack or something?” He inquired further.

“No, I’m fine. Emma gave me a cold water bottle to put on it earlier so I think I’m fine. The stinging went down.” Pedro nodded but still looked slightly concerned.

“So it went well then?” A genuinely thrilled smile formed on Grace’s face. She looked so happy that Pedro could hardly believe his eyes. She was generally an upbeat and cheerful person but even he could tell that there had been something bothering her. 

“Very well. We had a long chat and I think we worked most of everything out but there’s still a long way to go.” A crestfallen look came over Grace’s face. “I haven’t been the greatest friend as of late.” Pedro took that as an invitation to approach her. He gingerly touched her arm in a way that he was almost not touching her at the same time. Had Pedro just been another friend of hers, Grace probably wouldn’t have even noticed the gesture. The truth was that she didn’t think Pedro was just another random friend of hers and the slight fluttering in the pit of her stomach was evidence of that. 

“You’ve been through a lot, Grace. I’m sure your friends will understand… Preferably a little more than Emma. I wouldn’t want you to get slapped like that again.” Grace smiled at his concern.

“You and me both.” She frowned when she decided she needed to talk to him about Emma just to clear the air. “I hope that you’re not still angry with Emma? It was entirely my fault anyways.” 

“You said that you two worked everything out. It’s not really my place to be angry with her… I just hate to see you get hurt because I-“ Pedro stopped himself before he was going to say it. He actually had no idea what he was going to say but didn’t think Grace was in position right now to hear it from him. 

“You’re my friend.” Pedro finally said and Grace smiled but for some reason that label kind of hurt. She ignored the hurt and moved on. 

“So are you… Emma feels terrible by the way. She’s sleeping in my room right now because of all the flying around she’s been doing but I’m sure she’ll apologize profusely once she wakes up. Just don’t be surprised by that.” Grace told him and Pedro chuckled. He was surprisingly okay with that given the anger he had felt when the brunette slapped Grace earlier. The anger he had felt during that moment had been quite the shock to him considering that he hadn’t known Grace long and he wasn’t in that sort of relationship with her… At least not yet. He was completely aware of the fact that he held growing feelings for Grace and was planning on asking her out when Emma showed up. Pedro was a bit rusty at this whole dating thing but he knew enough to know when a bad time was a bad time.

“I’ll try and prepare myself.” Pedro said and they both laughed. A knock was heard on the hotel door, alerting to them to the delivery guy with their much needed food. Pedro went to go retrieve it and Grace sat on the couch, allowing herself relax for the first time all day. Ash rested at her feet whilst she sunk into the softness of the couch. Even though she was allowing herself to relax something still bugged her in the back of her mind. The more time she spent with Pedro the more it seemed that these feelings were developing. That scared her if she was being honest because was in no place in her life to be having those kind of feelings for someone. It was unfair to Pedro.   
But she did have feelings for Pedro, Grace thought to herself. This felt different than it had ever felt before. Different than Tom, different than Alex, different than James, and different than Aaron. Maybe it was because she was older than she was before and she wasn’t as naïve and silly as she used to be. Grace knew that Pedro seemed to like her in that way as well given his flirtation during these past couple of weeks. She wasn’t as blind as people thought. Grace just had no idea how seriously Pedro felt about her and she was scared to risk anything. It was stupid to feel like this just after she got out of a hazardous relationship with Tom. Her heart was still on the mend and it was just plain silly to want to risk herself like that again. She liked to think she had amazing self-control but Grace didn’t think she would be able to leave if Pedro decided to reciprocate those feelings for her. Grace just bit her lip nervously and tried to brush those feelings aside for the moment. She forced a smile when Pedro came back with food in hand and knew that this wasn’t going to be easy.

 

 

“I can’t believe your real name is Jose?!” Grace exclaimed as she stared at the brunette actor in surprise. He gave her an amused look. They were sitting on the floor, their food laid out on top of the coffee table and ‘New Girl’ was playing in the background on tv. Grace had decided to introduce him to the show and it surprised her how much he seemed to not mind it. Tom had thought the show to be very immature and stupid but Pedro laughed at all the appropriate parts and if he disliked the show he didn’t give any indication of his dislike. 

“I thought you said you googled me once.” Grace blushed and Pedro delighted in the rosy flush that came over her pale skin. 

“I googled your filmography. I didn’t google your entire life story… that would be creepy.” Pedro just smirked. 

“Sure you didn’t. Just like you probably didn’t google my personal life to see whether or not I’m off the market.” He teased and Grace playfully glared at him. In all honesty Grace had never really googled anything pertaining to his personal life. That was a boundary that Grace had always been adamant about not crossing with costars. 

“Well, I didn’t bother so be relieved.” Grace told him and he just kept smirking at her, making Grace want to wipe that smug look off his face. 

“Don’t worry because lucky for you I’m actually on the market for the moment.” Grace rolled her eyes, trying to convey that she really didn’t have the slightest care about his availability. Pedro also wanted to hint at the fact that he had potential of not being on the market. It all depended on her, he thought to himself.

“Do I still call you Pedro?” Pedro shook his head at the thought of being called Jose. 

“Pedro is my middle name but I prefer it much more than Jose.” Grace nodded, feeling relieved at not being a complete idiot and calling him by a name that he didn’t go by in real life. There was a comfortable silence for a moment between them as they returned their attention to the antics of Jessica Day. Something seemed to be bothering Pedro as he broke their nearly fifteen minutes of silence with the most random of questions. 

“Are you currently off the market?” The question caught Grace off guard the moment it left his lips. Grace gave him a shocked look and Pedro was beginning to rethink his method. 

“What?” Pedro shrugged as if he was just making casual conversation. 

“I was just wondering if you were seeing anybody. I mean… from an actor’s perspective it’s hard to maintain a personal life.” Grace eyed him suspiciously before answering. 

“No, not really although I was sure that was fairly obvious.” Pedro nodded but he wanted to be sure she was free. Even though Grace had recently gotten out of a bad relationship she was still Grace with all her beauty and kindness so it wouldn’t be difficult for someone else to whisk her away. Pedro had been afraid that he may have been too late. 

“No, it’s not obvious. Have you met you? Anyone would be lucky to snatch you up.” Grace looked down at her hands with a sad expression on her face.

“I’m not so great, Pedro, not if you really knew me.” Grace told him truthfully but that didn’t seem to give Pedro any doubt. Grace knew that people got the wrong impression of her by her politeness but honestly Grace was nowhere near perfect.

“I don’t believe that. You’re the closest thing I’ve ever met to a real life Disney princess.” Pedro told her which caused Grace to give him an incredulous look. 

“What are you talking about?”

“You, of course. You just have this way about you that’s so gentle and so kind that it just rubs off on everyone around you. It’s infectious.” Grace blushed but was adamant about denying what he was saying. 

“I’m really not this person you think I am, Pedro. I’ve done things that I’ve regretted; I’ve made a lot of wrong decisions in my life.” Pedro stared at her, determined not to let her think that he would ever think less of her. 

“We’re all human beings.” He said simply but Grace laughed humorlessly. 

“Not according to the public. None of us are human to them. We’re not allowed to make mistakes or god forbid if we wear the same outfit as someone else. They paint s false painting of someone like me and expect me to live up to that depiction.” Pedro realized just how much the media was affecting her. Grace had spent the last ten years under the public’s scrutiny while he had only spent the last couple years in the public eye and even for him it was seldom. The only time anyone cared about him was if he was taking a walk with Sarah Paulson. It always caused people to think that they were dating when they were only acting as they had been for the past twenty or so years. Grace had it a lot worse and even more so these past several months. 

“I don’t care about any of that. Who cares what other people say? They shouldn’t matter.” Pedro told her and they were both starting to realize that this was quickly turning into a different sort of conversation.

“I hate being reminded time after time of my divorce that was finalized months ago but never seems to end. I’m tired of people saying they pity me and telling me that my ex is an asshole.” Tears started to form in the blonde’s eyes and Pedro felt his heart clench at the sight. This was the first time he had ever seen Grace cry and knew that it was a sight that he didn’t like especially when he was partly responsible for the cause of her tears. “They don’t know what really happened… no one does.” 

“Grace…” He trailed off before wrapping an arm around her, inviting her into his embrace. For a moment he thought Grace would push him away but she surprised him by crying into his chest. Pedro felt the overwhelming need to wipe all her tears away and beat up anyone who had ever caused her pain. “Tell me. Please tell me. You can trust me, Grace, just please tell what’s bothering you.” 

Grace had hesitated for a moment, silently debating whether or not she could tell him everything. She knew that she hadn’t known Pedro long in comparison to how long she knew her other friends. Emma was her friend for over ten years and not even she knew the complete truth. Grace wasn’t sure if it was because Pedro was her first friend away from friends or if it was because she truly had strong feelings for him that could easily turn into love if she wasn’t careful enough. Whatever the reason was Grace knew that could trust him with anything. All she had to do was look into those warm brown eyes and she would spill her deepest darkest secrets. He was dangerous in that way.

“Tom and I didn’t split up because of Taylor.” She admitted to him after a long moment of silence. Pedro looked surprised at that. The whole world had been looking at Taylor Swift as the cause of the very much publicized divorce but despite how he felt about the media, he too assumed that Taylor had been the cause of Grace’s divorce. Pedro would never have blamed her for feeling that way but apparently there was a lot more to the story.

“What?” Grace sniffled and wiped her sleeve over her face, trying to wipe away her own tears.

“We were already separated when I saw the pictures of him and Taylor. We’d been separated for almost five months when I saw the pictures.” Pedro frowned. He knew that she hadn’t been married long when the divorce had been finalized but it seemed that the marriage had lasted for an even shorter time than he originally thought.

“Why?” Grace braced herself for what she was about to tell him because she hadn’t told anyone the full length story about what happened. She knew that she had to tell him… she had to get it off her chest if she ever wanted to move on for good. Grace couldn’t tell Emma because Emma would cry with her and feel sorry for her. She knew deep down that Pedro wouldn’t show her pity but support and that was just what she needed.

“Tom and I had been together for a while and we had even been engaged for longer than we dated. There was always something that got in the way. Either it was him off filming something or it was me filming something else. We kept putting the wedding date off but the sad part is that I think we could’ve gotten married sooner if we really wanted to. Eventually we did get married but it felt more like something we had to do than what we wanted.” She paused before looking directly at Pedro. “Then I found out I was pregnant.” 

Pedro’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at the fragile looking blonde in his arms. He wasn’t sure what Grace was going to tell him when she reluctantly decided to pour her heart out to him but it certainly wasn’t this. A million questions flooded his mind as he stared at her. Grace… pregnant? It was hard to imagine but he thought he could picture her with a round stomach looking out the window as she subconsciously rubbed the small bump. It filled him with some resentment to imagine Tom in that scenario. Something else hit him… Where was the baby? This had most likely happened at least over a year ago. He had never heard word through the media that Grace Gallagher had ever had a child. He was sure that the child would have been brought up during the midst of her and Tom’s divorce but he couldn’t remember a child ever being mentioned not that he paid much attention to the media anyways. 

“When we found out that I was pregnant Tom decided that it would be the opportune moment to finally have the wedding. Mostly because my mother’s side of the family was a little touchy about having a child out of wedlock…being Catholic and all.” Another tear silently streamed down her face as she got a faraway look in her eyes. “The pregnancy took us by surprise but it was a nice surprise. I wasn’t sure about whether I really wanted to marry him or not but I thought the baby was a sign. The thing with Tom is that I don’t think I ever was sure about him which is why things moved so slow between us.”

“The baby was a boy by the way. We were going to name him William Harrison. William because his father’s middle name was William and Harrison because… Well, I never knew why I wanted to name him that except that I just really loved that name I suppose. It was a lovely name for a little baby boy.” Grace told him, her throat started to feel very thick as she struggled to continue with what she was about to say next. “We got married in June… It was a nice wedding I suppose maybe a little too extravagant but it was nice. The honeymoon trip ended and I came back to London planning to spend the rest of my pregnancy resting and taking a break from work. Tom was filming a movie half way across the world so I was alone.” Pedro stroked her hair gently and held her tighter because he had a feeling that he knew what she was about to say. It was breaking his heart to hear her painful memories but he also knew that he just had to make it better for her. 

“I had just come back from visiting a friend and the elevator was out so I had to walk up the stairs to our flat. The stairs had begun to become harder and harder for me to climb it seemed. I don’t really know what happened but I must have lost my balance… or slipped on something because the next thing I knew is that I was falling.” Grace had lost her cool by this point, almost sobbing into Pedro’s chest as she struggled to remember what had happened. Pedro felt a tear of his own escape his eyes as he held onto her, stroking her back in comfort. Pedro felt helpless as she cried in his arms so he did all that he could do in comforting her. “I woke up in the hospital a day later. My brother usually stopped into to check on me so he must have found me on stairs or something. I don’t really know since I was unconscious at the time.” Grace struggled to calm herself as she continued to recount the horrors of her past.

“Everything in the hospital went by in a blur except for Tom. All I can remember is the look of pure anguish and devastation on his face when I woke up. I don’t think I had ever seen him look so beaten down in all the years that I had known him.” Grace knew that for as long as she lived she would never forget that look on Tom’s face. Bright and happy Tom who never let anything or anyone get him down but in that moment he looked so lost and hurt. He didn’t need to tell her that they lost William because it was so clearly written on his face. “In a way I’m glad everything went by in a blur because I don’t want to remember any of it.” Grace swallowed, trying to figure out how she was going to get the rest out now that she had gotten through the hard part.

“Things were never the same after that. I think we blamed each other for the miscarriage. I blamed him for not being there and he blamed me for not being careful enough. I got to a point where whenever I looked at him all I could be reminded of was William… what could have been but now what could never be.” She was surprised by how quiet Pedro was being through all this but she realized that he was just listening to her. He was giving her his full undivided attention and she didn’t think anyone had ever been so respectful of her that they let her tell her side of the story without any interruptions. Her quiet nature had always encouraged people to walk all over her. She was thankful for his momentary silence since she knew if she stopped then she may not be able to finish getting this off her chest. “It just became too much and I threw myself back into work which also meant staying away from Tom.” Grace looked down at her hands as she thought back to how she and Tom fell apart.

“I wanted him to chase after me deep down and I wanted it to work out but we were just so worn out by that point. He asked for the divorce in May and I should’ve known something was up but I ignored it. I was in denial and thought that we could make things work.” She sighed as she thought about those now famous pictures that had been her wake up call. “When those pictures appeared I knew that I had to let him go. It hurt that he would go behind my back like that with my best friend and hurt just as much to know that my best friend had gone behind my back with my husband but Tom and I were over way before then.” Grace looked back up at Pedro to see that his gaze didn’t contain pity like how must might look at her but instead concern, pain, and something else that wasn’t recognizable to her.

“I’m not this good person you think I am, Pedro, I’m really fucked up.” Pedro stared down at her and noticed how fearful she looked in that moment. Of what? What did she have to be so afraid of? He was a little surprised to hear her swear since he didn’t think he heard her say anything vulgar in all the time he had known her. No, she left that to him. This woman in front of him had been through so much, way more than she deserved and he was determined that she would never think less of herself because of that. None of that made her a bad person. She hadn’t done anything wrong and had no reason to feel guilty or ashamed of herself. He needed to convey that to her so he held her closer to himself, not caring if his shirt was wet from her tears. Grace was far more important to him. 

“No, you’re not. You’re an impossibly strong woman who’s had bad shit happen to them but that does not make you a bad person. This way far beyond your control… You couldn’t help that. You’re the kindest, most genuine person I know and you’re the last person that deserved something like this. You deserve the world and everything in it, Grace.” Pedro told her firmly and Grace felt slightly breathless from his proclamation. 

“You scare me.” She told him. Pedro gave her a confused look, looking slightly bewildered and hurt at the same time. 

“What?” Grace just looked back at him with a wide eyed look.

“You have the potential to really hurt me and I don’t think that I could bare anymore pain.” Pedro stared back at her but understood her more now. Why she had been so restrained in all the time he had spent flirting with her. It wasn’t that she didn’t reciprocate those feelings it was because she was afraid that he would hurt her the same way Tom hurt her. Grace was terrified that she would be abandoned again in her time of need but Pedro would be damned if he let that happen. That idiot had let Grace get away but Pedro sure as hell wasn’t going to let the same fate happen to him. No, he wouldn’t make the same mistakes Tom did because he wasn’t stupid enough to not realize what he had when he had it. 

“I can’t guarantee that I won’t ever be an asshole but I can promise you that I will never leave you for as long as you’ll have me.” Grace was taken back by the sincerity in his eyes but she was still doubtful about that. Promises were made to be broken, weren’t they? This all felt so fast. She had just met Pedro three weeks ago but already it felt like she had known him for years. It slightly scared her but it also exhilarated Grace at the same time. Part of her wanted to question why they were moving this fast since they hadn’t really even been out on an official date yet but Grace knew why. They were already in a relationship by most people’s standards. A lot of people on set already assumed that the two were a couple and didn’t seem to think anything of it. It was an unspoken sort of thing but deep down it was still there between them despite Pedro’s persistence and Grace’s stubbornness. 

“You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, Pedro. The media is relentless and once we’re seen in public together it’ll be hell. It wasn’t always like this but once I involved myself with Taylor… well that kind of throws all privacy out the window especially if you’re in a situation like this one with her.” Pedro shrugged as if he could give a shit about the media. 

“Grace, I wouldn’t be here with you right now if the media meant anything to me. I don’t give a fuck about what they say or do. I’m not going to hide the way I feel about you. We’re going to go out and we’re going to do things. People can say what they want but in the end my main concern is you.” And there it was. Grace had given Pedro his chance to leave while he still could… before either one of them got hurt but he didn’t budge. He convinced her that he wanted something more with her than what they already had. Grace hadn’t been sure of his true feelings towards her but spending the past couple of hours in the hotel room with him she now knew for sure and he knew where she stood in her feelings towards him. Grace had just poured her heart out to him and that meant something for the usually reserved blonde. Grace rested her head against his shoulder as she relaxed back into him and he resumed stroking her hair. 

“I’m scared.” Grace said quietly.

“I know but we’ll just take it day by day and when you’re ready you can dump my sorry ass.” He joked lightly and Grace scoffed. It was so like him to always make such vulgar jokes like that. As if she could ever begin to think about leaving him. Grace had become so accustomed to Pedro’s presence in her life that she didn’t think she could ever imagine a life where he wasn’t there. He had only been in her life for three weeks but somehow it felt like he had been there with her for much longer. She couldn’t believe that it was only a month ago when she was living in New York by herself. No Emma, No LA, and definitely no Pedro. It was strange the way things turned out.

“Don’t say things like that, Pedro.” She told him and he just smirked before the moment faded, making him decide to change the subject. 

“How about later this week we go out somewhere?” Pedro suggested and Grace turned to look at him. She analyzed the look on his face and wondered how they shifted into this conversation so easily. She had been adamant about secluding herself but that went out the door the moment he held her in his arms. Grace had intended to really try and distance herself but this night took a different turn than what she had originally anticipated.

“Like a date?” Pedro gave her a look. 

“No, like a business meeting. Of course a date.” Grace smiled at his blatant sarcasm. She found it endearing and hilarious at the same time. 

“Well, Emma is leaving Wednesday so maybe after then.” Pedro nodded.

“Friday then?"

“Friday.” She confirmed and Pedro felt a rush of relief wash over him. He didn’t know why he had been so nervous. Maybe it was because he was almost sure that Grace didn’t want anything to do with him… at least not in that way. He was delightfully surprised to see that he was wrong. He allowed himself to relish in the fact that Grace was in his arms. Her blonde hair smelt sweetly of strawberries and he wondered what sort of shampoo she used. They had never been this close before yet it felt like they were meant to be like this all along. 

“I’m sorry about William, Grace, I really am.” Pedro told her quietly, wanting to express his condolences to her. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what losing a child was like. It didn’t matter that William hadn’t been brought into this world yet. Grace was still a mother who had lost her child. The blonde actress gave him a thoughtful look.

“Sometimes I wonder what he would’ve looked like… what his first word would’ve been.” Grace remarked but not shedding anymore tears. Most likely because she was all out of tears for the moment. Pedro just looked at her intensely, sincerity in his brown eyes.

“He would’ve been beautiful, Grace… just like you.” Grace smiled at the thought before her smile faded. 

“Is it odd to miss someone you never met? I know that I loved him with all my heart but I never even got the chance to meet him.” Pedro shook his head at her. 

“You’re his mother. It doesn’t matter that he never made it into this world… you have every right to miss your child. Don’t let anyone tell you any different.” Pedro told her determinedly and Grace nodded, a little taken back by the seriousness in his voice. She snuggled back into his chest.

“Thank you, Pedro… thank you for listening.” Grace replied to that, not knowing what else to say.

“You can tell me anything, princess.” Pedro said, using that ridiculous nickname again. Grace immediately felt her spirits being lifted by that stupid nickname. If anyone else would’ve called her that she would have been repulsed but for some reason she couldn’t be mad at Pedro for calling her that. 

“I already told you that I’m not a princess.” She told him, trying to sound annoyed but Pedro only smirked at her.

“And I already told you that you’re my princess.” Grace blushed and tried to hide her reddening face from Pedro but she knew he saw her bashfulness anyways. She knew that Pedro had the potential to hurt her but she also knew that he could be very good for her. He pushed and challenged her in a way no one ever had and maybe that was a good thing. All Grace knew for sure was that for the first time in a long time she felt safe but that was when she was in Pedro’s arms. Her date with Pedro should’ve terrified her but it didn’t seem to… at least not in the way she thought it would. No, she felt a strange sort of giddiness and was already looking forward to Friday. Things were moving fast between her and Pedro but it felt more exciting than it did terrifying. It was what she had been searching for all those years ago when she first met Tom but maybe the reason she hadn’t found it then wasn’t because she was young and naïve… maybe it was because Tom was the wrong person for her. This was all so new to her so she couldn’t be sure if Pedro was the right person for her but she knew that there was a strong chance that he was. Maybe she could have what her mother and father had after all with their ‘Roman Holiday’ sort of romance. Grace could very well be Audrey Hepburn and Pedro could be her Gregory Peck. 

Life wasn’t a fairytale, Grace knew that, but maybe with Pedro she could come close.


End file.
